unobservant
adjective
un·ob·ser·vant
ˌən-əb-ˈzər-vənt 
: not observant: such as
a
: not watchful or attentive
unobservant of other people
unobservant passersby
b
: not careful to follow religious teachings or practices
… a religious adventure that transformed a 34-year-old unobservant Jew to one of the leaders of the Jewish renewal movement …—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers WeeklyExamples of unobservant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But camouflaged in it is a dangerous surprise to unobservant hikers, a venomous copperhead.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
There’s no sense of Death’s intricate plotting, only an unobservant nurse who walks out, leaving the tap on in a near-full bathtub.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Love can be unobservant, so if your friends aren’t wild about your new partner, that can be a great reality check, Adekunle says.
—Natanya Biskar, SELF, 21 Feb. 2022
Even the most unobservant can’t fail to have noticed that mindfulness is everywhere, from gym classes to apps and corporate wellness programs.
—Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2020
Kia does an excellent job of making both hybrids feel like normal cars, so the unobservant passenger might never notice a difference between an Optima with an electric motor and one without.
—Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2018
With a compliant or unobservant casino, that money can be reported as gambling winnings to the I.R.S. and deposited into a U.S. bank with minimal questioning.
—Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, 12 May 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
There’s no sense of Death’s intricate plotting, only an unobservant nurse who walks out, leaving the tap on in a near-full bathtub.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Love can be unobservant, so if your friends aren’t wild about your new partner, that can be a great reality check, Adekunle says.
—Natanya Biskar, SELF, 21 Feb. 2022
Even the most unobservant can’t fail to have noticed that mindfulness is everywhere, from gym classes to apps and corporate wellness programs.
—Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2020
Kia does an excellent job of making both hybrids feel like normal cars, so the unobservant passenger might never notice a difference between an Optima with an electric motor and one without.
—Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2018
With a compliant or unobservant casino, that money can be reported as gambling winnings to the I.R.S. and deposited into a U.S. bank with minimal questioning.
—Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, 12 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Unobservant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unobservant. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share