ENGLISH
REFERENCE

careless

adj.
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkɛɹɫəs// UK //kˈeələs// care·less Archaic General-service

adj. not giving enough attention or thought to what you are doing. You use this when someone makes a mistake because they are not being careful.

adj. failing to give sufficient attention, effort, or thought to a task or situation. Often used to describe actions or people that result in avoidable errors.


SIMPLE

He made a few careless mistakes on the math test.

CONTEXTUAL

Leaving the front door unlocked was a careless oversight that worried the rest of the family.

COMPLEX

The report was marred by careless formatting and several factual inconsistencies that suggested a lack of thorough proofreading before the final submission.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'with' when referring to resources or 'about' when referring to attitudes.

Pitfall

He is careless of his workHe is careless with his workWhen describing how someone handles a task or object, 'careless with' is the standard collocation.

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