1
a
: free from care : untroubled
careless days
b
: indifferent, unconcerned
careless of the consequences
2
: not taking care
My brother was too careless of his charge.—
Shakespeare
Shakespeare3
: not showing or receiving care:
b
: unstudied, spontaneous
a careless grace
a careless glance
c
obsolete
: unvalued, disregarded
carelessly
adverb
carelessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of careless in a Sentence
He is a careless worker.
She was careless with my things.
It was a careless mistake.
a newspaper known for careless reporting
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the creatures spat out by the Earth in self-defense against us careless people is Battra, a dark version of Mothra with a kick-ass lightning bolt pattern on its wings and a horn that shoots electricity.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Prosecutors maintained James Crumbley was a careless, negligent father who bought a troubled son a gun and failed to secure it.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
Perspective Carolyn Hax: Navigating her mom’s careless nature Perspective
Carolyn Hax: A strikingly petty father poisons the whole family
Perspective
Carolyn Hax: Why can’t my family be close like others?
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
The reality star and entrepreneur is also facing charges of negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.
—Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
About a month before the fatal crash, Lightfoot had been cited for careless driving.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
In December 2022, employees told Reuters that the company was rushing to market, resulting in careless animal deaths and a federal investigation.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
However, the Suns looked careless at both ends of the floor.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
Singapore famously banned the sale, import and manufacturing of chewing gum in 1992, blaming the careless disposal of the substance on subways for gumming up service.
—By
dee-Ann Durbin, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
Prosecutors maintained James Crumbley was a careless, negligent father who bought a troubled son a gun and failed to secure it.
—USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
Perspective Carolyn Hax: Navigating her mom’s careless nature Perspective
Carolyn Hax: A strikingly petty father poisons the whole family
Perspective
Carolyn Hax: Why can’t my family be close like others?
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
The reality star and entrepreneur is also facing charges of negligently driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, as well as recklessly driving a vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for the safety of persons and property.
—Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
About a month before the fatal crash, Lightfoot had been cited for careless driving.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024
In December 2022, employees told Reuters that the company was rushing to market, resulting in careless animal deaths and a federal investigation.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024
However, the Suns looked careless at both ends of the floor.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024
Singapore famously banned the sale, import and manufacturing of chewing gum in 1992, blaming the careless disposal of the substance on subways for gumming up service.
—By
dee-Ann Durbin, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'careless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near careless
Cite this Entry
“Careless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careless. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
careless
adjective
care·less
ˈke(ə)r-ləs 
ˈka(ə)r-
1
: free from care : not troubled
2
: not taking proper care
a careless worker
3
: done, made, or said without proper care
a careless mistake
carelessly
adverb
carelessness
noun
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