1
as in ignorance
a state of being disregardful or unconscious of one's surroundings, concerns, or obligations
her general obliviousness often results in her walking into walls and other hard-to-miss objects
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unawareness
the state of being unaware or uninformed
obliviousness of a law is not an acceptable excuse for breaking it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of obliviousness
Feel-good party music is usually rooted in escapism, or simple obliviousness, while socially conscious art tends toward the bleak, especially these days.
—
Will Lynch, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
His obliviousness is what’s also somewhat endearing but also what’s grounding.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
After a two-hour tale of comical deception, betrayal, emotional cruelty, insensitivity and obliviousness, the audience is expected to swallow a message of caring and community.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
In Aspen, Wiseman deployed this method to showcase the casual obliviousness of some of his subjects.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, a stylist has had to cancel his own honeymoon due to delays in the tour, indicating both slavish, life-altering devotion to the British pop star in her coterie, but also her obliviousness to such things going on.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Arriving empty-handed, leaving messes behind, being hours late — behaviors like these reflect obliviousness or busyness at best, or selfishness or entitlement at worst.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
There is total and telling obliviousness to his giant flat-screen television, tuned to the SEC Network and a women’s soccer match between Arkansas and … Notre Dame.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Will Lynch, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
His obliviousness is what’s also somewhat endearing but also what’s grounding.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
After a two-hour tale of comical deception, betrayal, emotional cruelty, insensitivity and obliviousness, the audience is expected to swallow a message of caring and community.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
In Aspen, Wiseman deployed this method to showcase the casual obliviousness of some of his subjects.
—Vikram Murthi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, a stylist has had to cancel his own honeymoon due to delays in the tour, indicating both slavish, life-altering devotion to the British pop star in her coterie, but also her obliviousness to such things going on.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
Arriving empty-handed, leaving messes behind, being hours late — behaviors like these reflect obliviousness or busyness at best, or selfishness or entitlement at worst.
—Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Gentleman thief Sir Charles Lytton (David Niven) circles the prize while Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) bungles the pursuit with sublime obliviousness.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
There is total and telling obliviousness to his giant flat-screen television, tuned to the SEC Network and a women’s soccer match between Arkansas and … Notre Dame.
—Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliviousness
Noun
-
When racist incidents happen, colleges sometimes respond with educational programs that ask students of color to fix white ignorance for free.—
Ingrid A. Nelson,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
-
The combined disgust, discomfort, ignorance, and fascination with our Indigeneity that unsettled my aunties and fascinated my cousins made more sense to me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
This executive blindness extends across the entire tech industry, creating an economic doom loop that is hurtling toward a massive financial bust.—
Sunil Sharan,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
-
Legal blindness is also defined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as severe vision loss, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Up to 60% of women experience it as confusion, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness that is estrogen-specific, not just aging.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
2 May 2026
-
Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, sleep issues, joint and muscle discomfort, night sweats, forgetfulness, moodiness, and irritability.—
Laura Schober,
Health,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Liberal hero Stephen Colbert’s long swan song into podcast oblivion showed how clueless Democrats are who worship the rich TV host who lost his job because his show lost $40 million a year for CBS.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
-
Performance issues that should be addressed early get documented into oblivion and quietly managed around.—
Darrin Lipscomb,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliviousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliviousness. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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