- 1not giving enough attention and thought to what you are doing, so that you make mistakes It was careless of me to leave the door open. Don't be so careless about/with spelling. a careless worker/driver opposite careful
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2resulting from a lack of attention and thought a careless mistake/error
- 3not showing interest or effort synonym casual She gave a careless shrug. a careless laugh/smile
adverb Someone had carelessly left a window open. She threw her coat carelessly onto the chair. “Whatever,” he said carelessly.
noun [uncountable] a moment of carelessnessSee careless in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: careless