Meaning

3 senses

  1. Not concerned or worried (about).

  2. Not giving sufficient attention or thought, especially concerning the avoidance of harm or mistakes.

    Jessica was so careless that she put her shorts on backwards.

    unvorsichtig, unbedacht, unachtsam

    невнима́тельныйnevnimátelʹnyj, небре́жныйnebréžnyj, неради́выйneradívyj

    недба́лийnedbályj, неува́жнийneuvážnyj

  3. (archaic)Free from care; unworried, without anxiety.

    Jessica was careless about putting her shorts on properly.

More definitions
  • effortless and unstudied
  • marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
  • (usually followed by ‘of’) without due thought or consideration

Examples

346 sentences

  1. I'm sometimes very careless.

    Я іноді дуже недбалий.

    ruИногда я очень беспечен.

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  2. Tom is careless.

    Том недбалий.

    deTom ist sorglos.

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  3. I was careless.

    Я був безтурботним.

    ruЯ был беззаботным.

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  4. Careless driving causes accidents.

    Недбале водіння є причиною нещасних випадків.

    deUnvorsichtiges Fahren verursacht Unfälle.

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  5. It was very careless of me.

    deDas war sehr unvorsichtig von mir.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
not giving sufficient attention or thought:
Русский
By meaning 1
not giving sufficient attention or thought:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
not giving sufficient attention or thought:

Origin

From Middle English careles, from Old English carlēas (“careless, reckless, void of care,

From Middle English careles, from Old English carlēas (“careless, reckless, void of care, free from care, free”), equivalent to care + -less. Cognate with Icelandic kærulaus (“careless, negligent”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

more careless, most careless
Comparativemore careless Lesson
Superlativemost careless Lesson

regular

Synonyms

53 synonyms
negligentC1unconcernedB2carefreeB2casualB1chillC1coolA1easygoingB1indifferentB2leisurelyB2looseA2offhandB2nonchalantC2relaxedA2sereneB2
Close in meaning
  • (usually followed by ‘of’) without due thought or consideration:regardless

Antonyms

2 antonyms
meticulousC2
careful

Word family

5 related words
RelatedguiltyB1carelessness
DerivedcarelesslyB1beastly carelessovercareless

Lessons for this word

2 lessons

Collocations

12 patterns
  • was careless of
  • be so careless
  • was very careless
  • be as careless
  • had been careless
  • as careless as
  • will be careless
  • a careless driver
  • careless the next
  • as careless the
  • very careless of
  • careless driver

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
carefreeB2carefulA1carefullyA1caregivercarelesslyB1carelessnessB1carercaress
careless — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto