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
The Heat committed 14 turnovers, several of them particularly careless, and shot just 9 for 37 (24.3 percent) on threes.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Nests are usually placed on a horizontal conifer branch less than 10 feet above the ground, which makes sense, given the careless, rickety appearance of their design.
—Matt Kracht, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Amy Weiss was sentenced to 365 days on a charge of careless driving causing death and 364 days on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in connection with the 2023 wreck that killed Ollie Stratton, the District Attorney - Eighth Judicial District said in a March 7 post on Facebook.
—Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
Despite Curry’s best efforts, the Warriors were undone by a careless offense and by Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes who scored a career-high 44 points.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for careless
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Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Nests are usually placed on a horizontal conifer branch less than 10 feet above the ground, which makes sense, given the careless, rickety appearance of their design.
—Matt Kracht, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
Amy Weiss was sentenced to 365 days on a charge of careless driving causing death and 364 days on a charge of tampering with physical evidence in connection with the 2023 wreck that killed Ollie Stratton, the District Attorney - Eighth Judicial District said in a March 7 post on Facebook.
—Sara Schilling, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
Despite Curry’s best efforts, the Warriors were undone by a careless offense and by Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes who scored a career-high 44 points.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 2 Mar. 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 21 Mar. 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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