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
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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
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
But the flip side of that obliviousness is a tremendous ambition and a sort of mad optimism.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
The disgust stems both from that aura of obliviousness and from a retrospective knowledge that the sincerity of late-two-thousands indie music was quickly co-opted into a more commercial version of itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
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
But the flip side of that obliviousness is a tremendous ambition and a sort of mad optimism.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
The disgust stems both from that aura of obliviousness and from a retrospective knowledge that the sincerity of late-two-thousands indie music was quickly co-opted into a more commercial version of itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliviousness
Noun
-
Fifty years of neglect and ignorance has led us to this day when 4,500 homeless individuals are roaming our streets and subways.—
Lucius Riccio,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
-
According to Tuff, what causes leaders to miss these paradigm shifts is not ignorance but hesitation.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The trial aims to restore some vision in both patients with glaucoma and NAION—both of which can cause blindness.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The result is not merely inefficiency but institutional blindness.—
Nizan Geslevich Packin,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a dangerous, stubborn forgetfulness in the vaunted Land of Sunshine.—
Elizabeth A. Logan,
The Conversation,
29 Dec. 2025
-
More powerful than the noise of breaking news or the forgetfulness of scrolling.—
Nancy Tartaglione,
Deadline,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
My love, there is no oblivion, no dream.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Even the guest features are reverbed to oblivion.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliviousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliviousness. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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