Meaning & use
careless
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Failing to pay enough attention to what you are doing, so that errors or damage are likely.
Grammar: Can stand before a noun or after a verb: a careless error, he was careless.
Patterns
- careless with something
- careless about something
- careless of something
A careless slip in the spreadsheet cost the team two days of rework.
She was careless with her passport and left it on the train.
It was careless of you to leave the stove on.
adjectivebefore a nounliterary
Relaxed and unworried, showing no effort or concern about how one appears or what others think.
Grammar: Usually describes manner or style: a careless smile, careless elegance.
He gave a careless shrug and walked out into the rain.
Her careless grace made the dance look easy.
They laughed with careless joy on the last day of school.
Word forms
| comparative | more careless |
|---|---|
| superlative | most careless |
Common combinations
- careless mistake
- I lost marks on a careless mistake in the last sum.
- careless driving
- He was fined for careless driving after clipping a parked car.
- careless with money
- Tom is careless with money and rarely checks his balance.
- careless about safety
- The crew had grown careless about safety checks.
- careless talk
- Careless talk at the party let the secret out.
Synonyms and how they differ
- negligent
- Negligent is stronger and more formal, suggesting a failure of duty that may carry legal or moral blame.
- sloppy
- Sloppy is informal and points to untidy, low-standard work rather than a single moment of inattention.
- thoughtless
- Thoughtless stresses not considering other people's feelings, where careless stresses not watching what you do.
- reckless
- Reckless implies knowingly taking big risks, while careless usually implies simply not noticing the risk.
Opposites
Word family
- carelessly adverb
- in a way that lacks attention
- carelessness noun
- the quality of not taking enough care
- care noun
- close attention to avoid harm or error
- careful adjective
- paying close attention to avoid errors
Commonly confused: careless or careful? careless or carefree?
careless vs careful
Careful means taking proper care; careless means not taking it. The suffix -less means without, not a gentler form.
careless vs carefree
Carefree means free from worries and is positive, while careless usually means inattentive and is negative.
Practice
The report was full of ____ errors because the writer had not checked it before sending.
Choose one answer.
Careless describes errors caused by a lack of attention. Careful is the opposite, carefree means without worries, and caring means kind.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “careless”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.