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
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Recent Examples of obliviousness
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
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
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
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
-
Rather than implying ignorance, the silence becomes a constraint.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
Darling, who co-wrote her romantic thriller along with fellow Baha’i and husband Clark Donnelly, added the title for her Cast Aside the Clouds film came from a poem by Iranian writer Tahireh about replacing ignorance with world unity, a key tenet of the Baha’i faith.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Diabetic macular edema, or DME, is a complication of diabetes that can lead to vision loss and is one of the leading causes of new blindness in the United States.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
1 May 2026
-
Last year's science fair projects was a device to help people with blindness navigate the world.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
1 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
-
And every one squandered leaves a mark, takes its toll, ages you just a bit — and takes you one year closer to hockey oblivion.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
These Knicks don’t sit around and watch Jalen Brunson pound the ball into oblivion.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Obliviousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliviousness. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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