INDEX:
1. careless, so that you make mistakes or do something badly
2. careless, so that you or other people are in danger
3. done in a careless way
4. said without thinking carefully enough
5. not thinking carefully enough before doing something
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ CAREFUL
see also
↑ CLUMSY
↑ ACCIDENT
↑ MISTAKE
↑ STUPID/SILLY
↑ RISK
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1. careless, so that you make mistakes or do something badly
▷ careless /ˈkeəʳləs/ [adjective]
someone who is careless makes mistakes because they do not think carefully enough about what they are doing :
▪ I made a few careless mistakes.
▪ Don’t be so careless.
careless about
▪ After a few weeks, he started getting careless about taking his medication.
careless in
▪ Katz argued that the police used too much force and were careless in making arrests.
careless with
▪ Terence has always been careless with his money.
it is careless of somebody (to do something)
▪ It was very careless of you to leave your purse lying on the desk.
carelessly [adverb]
▪ She opened the bottle quickly and carelessly, breaking the cork.
carelessness [uncountable noun]
▪ Most accidents are entirely due to carelessness.
▷ clumsy /ˈklʌmzi/ [adjective]
someone who is clumsy often drops things or breaks things because they move around in a careless way :
▪ I was tall and clumsy as a child, so I avoided sports.
▪ Paula always felt clumsy when she had to serve food to people.
▪ a large man with big clumsy hands
clumsily [adverb]
▪ I got up, clumsily knocking against the table.
▷ sloppy /ˈslɒpiǁˈslɑː-/ [adjective]
doing something in a careless and lazy way - used especially about the way someone does their work, or the way they behave generally :
▪ As a student, he was brilliant but sloppy.
2. careless, so that you or other people are in danger
▷ careless /ˈkeəʳləs/ [adjective]
not taking enough care in what you are doing because you do not think about the possible danger or risks :
▪ Some careless idiot forgot to lock the door and the dog got out.
▪ Pryce accused the other driver of being careless and negligent.
carelessly [adverb]
▪ Cigarettes thrown carelessly from cars can cause forest fires.
carelessness [uncountable noun]
▪ Anna is lying in the hospital, and all because of your carelessness.
▷ reckless /ˈrekləs/ [adjective] especially written
someone who is reckless does dangerous or stupid things without thinking that they or someone else might get hurt :
▪ The driver of the car was arrested for reckless driving.
▪ a reckless disregard for human life
recklessly [adjective]
▪ young men recklessly risking their lives in dangerous sports
▷ irresponsible /ˌɪrɪˈspɒnsɪb ə l, ˌɪrɪˈspɒnsəb ə lǁ-ˈspɑːn-/ [adjective]
someone who is irresponsible does not do the things they should do, or does things they should not do, usually with harmful results :
▪ Police blame higher crime rates on irresponsible parents who allow their teenage children to stay out all night.
▪ Critics accused the governor of being irresponsible, and claimed that his new proposal would put thousands of US troops at risk.
▷ negligence /ˈneglɪdʒ ə ns/ [uncountable noun]
when someone does not do an important job carefully enough, especially with the result that there is an accident and they are punished for causing it :
▪ Dr. Atkins was found guilty of negligence and practising medicine without a license.
▪ You can claim compensation if your injury is a result of your employer’s negligence.
negligent [adjective]
▪ The jury determined that the school had been negligent, and awarded the student $450,000.
3. done in a careless way
▷ careless /ˈkeəʳləs/ [adjective]
▪ Investigators are still not sure whether the damage was intentional or due to careless work.
▪ The building had been finished in a very careless way, with loose wires and unpainted ceilings.
▪ Careless handling of pesticides causes dozens of accidents on farms every year.
▷ sloppy /ˈslɒpiǁˈslɑː-/ [adjective]
done in a careless and lazy way - use this about someone’s work or the way someone writes or speaks :
▪ The carpenter I hired did such a sloppy job that I finally had to fix the roof myself.
▪ The company’s failure was blamed on sloppy management.
▪ How can you expect an ‘A’ in this class when you turn in an essay as sloppy as this?
▷ slapdash/slipshod /ˈslæpdæʃ, ˈslɪpʃɒdǁ-ʃɑːd/ [adjective]
done extremely carelessly and quickly, without paying any attention to the correct ways of working :
▪ We complained to the airline that the in-flight service was hurried and slapdash.
▪ The entire investigation had been conducted in an unsystematic, almost slipshod, manner.
▷ haphazard /ˌhæpˈhæzəʳd◂/ [adjective]
done without any clear plan or system :
▪ According to the report, most Americans have a distinctly haphazard approach to saving for the future.
haphazardly [adverb]
▪ Dirty plates and cups were stacked haphazardly in the sink.
4. said without thinking carefully enough
▷ careless /ˈkeəʳləs/ [adjective only before noun]
careless remarks/talk/words etc
said without thinking about what effect they might have, and so often causing trouble or embarrassment :
▪ You say a few careless words to a neighbour and suddenly everyone knows about it.
▪ Witnesses say the argument started after a careless remark about the victim’s wife.
carelessly [adverb]
▪ The newspaper had carelessly described him as an ‘Indian chief’.
▷ tactless /ˈtæktləs/ [adjective]
carelessly saying something that upsets or embarrasses someone, especially by mentioning something that it would be kinder or more polite not to talk about :
▪ How could he be so tactless as to make jokes about funerals when her father’s just died?
it is tactless to do something
▪ I wanted to know about her divorce but thought it would be tactless to ask.
tactlessly [adverb]
▪ ‘Would you like to come and have dinner with me?’ asked Eddie, and then added tactlessly, ‘Someone I invited has cancelled.’
▷ indiscreet /ˌɪndɪˈskriːt◂/ [adjective]
careless about what you say, especially by talking about things that should be kept secret :
▪ I wouldn’t trust him with anything personal - he can be very indiscreet.
it is indiscreet of somebody to do something
▪ I did hear them talking about sales figures but it would be indiscreet of me to say any more.
5. not thinking carefully enough before doing something
▷ rash /ræʃ/ [adjective]
if you do something rash, you do not think carefully about the effect it will have, and you wish later you had not done it :
▪ Stay where you are and don’t do anything rash -- I’ll be over in five minutes.
▪ Don’t make any rash promises that you may regret later.
rashly [adverb]
▪ I rashly offered to lend her the money.
▷ hasty /ˈheɪsti/ [adjective]
too quick to do or say something, without taking time to think about it first :
▪ I think I may have been a little hasty about firing him.
▪ Go home and think about whether you really want to have the operation -- I don’t want you to make any hasty decisions.
▷ impulsive /ɪmˈpʌlsɪv/ [adjective]
doing things as soon as you think of them, without considering the possible dangers or problems :
▪ She’s so impulsive -- she saw the house for the first time and said she’d buy it straight away.
▪ Although she comes across as impulsive, Harper is actually very cautious and indecisive.
impulsively [adverb]
▪ He kissed her impulsively.
impulsiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ His impulsiveness surprised her. He was normally so careful.
▷ impetuous /ɪmˈpetʃuəs/ [adjective]
doing something without thinking carefully first, especially because you have an emotional character and easily get angry, excited etc :
▪ If you weren’t so impetuous you wouldn’t have lost your job.
▪ He says she’s impetuous and emotional.