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
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
Proof Carefully To Show Professionalism And Attention To Detail
What gets my negative attention are résumés with careless errors—typos, missing words and inconsistent formatting.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Social media erupted in fear, and disgust, or simply threw shame his way for being careless.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 8 July 2025
That urgency can lead to poor judgment and careless clicks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
Russian morale also took a hit, as military bloggers bemoaned the careless lack of security and underestimation of Ukrainian secret services.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for careless
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Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Social media erupted in fear, and disgust, or simply threw shame his way for being careless.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 8 July 2025
That urgency can lead to poor judgment and careless clicks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
Russian morale also took a hit, as military bloggers bemoaned the careless lack of security and underestimation of Ukrainian secret services.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for careless
Cite this Entry
“Careless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careless. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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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