as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
an incautious comment got her in political hot water
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Recent Examples of incautious
Clearly, holding single parents legally responsible for incautious, negligent or irresponsible parenting could fill up jails and prisons and impoverish such families completely and radically.
—
Ellen Sauerbrey, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Yet that may send the message that both borrowers and lenders can continue pursuing incautious practices in the expectation of a bailout.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Ellen Sauerbrey, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Yet that may send the message that both borrowers and lenders can continue pursuing incautious practices in the expectation of a bailout.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incautious
Adjective
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The game has been played at A&M's tempo, causing the Gaels to make careless mistakes.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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Democrats accuse the Justice Department of withholding too many files and making careless redactions that exposed intimate details about victims.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Supply chain due diligence should also address wage violations, unsafe workplaces, restrictions on workers’ freedom of association and environmental harms.—
Anna Bryher,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Mar. 2026
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The new detention center will ultimately replace the current county detention center in downtown Kansas City, which is more than four decades old, has fallen into partial disrepair and has long been plagued by unsafe overcrowding and allegations of abuse and mismanagement.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hales, who is free on $160,000 bail, faces two counts of reckless burning causing death, two counts of reckless burning of an inhabited structure, two counts of child endangerment and one count of animal cruelty.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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He was acquitted at the first trial of murder and reckless endangerment.—
Mike Randall,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incautious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incautious. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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