carelessness
gb/kˈɛɹləsnəs/ us/kˈɛɹləsnəs/
B1
English
~ 8400
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
state
1
failure to take proper care
A way of acting when you do not take enough care or pay enough attention, so that you may cause problems or accidents.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s carelessness with [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "carelessness" (a noun) with "careless" (an adjective). For example, they may say *"His careless caused the accident"* instead of "His carelessness caused the accident." Another mistake is using "carefree" when they mean "careless" or "carelessness"; "carefree" means relaxed and not worried, not failing to take care.
Synonyms
negligence (More formal and legal-sounding; often used about not doing a duty or job correctly.)
|
recklessness (Stronger; suggests knowing something is dangerous but not caring about the risk.)
|
thoughtlessness (Focuses more on not thinking about how your actions affect other people.)
Antonyms
care (General opposite; means paying attention so that no harm or mistakes happen.)
|
caution (Emphasizes being careful to avoid danger or risk.)
|
attentiveness (Emphasizes close attention to what you are doing or to other people.)
Collocations
through carelessness
|gross carelessness
|carelessness with money
|carelessness with equipment
|carelessness while driving
|act of carelessness
Themes
daily life
|safety
|work
|behavior
|daily_life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The fire started because of his carelessness with candles.
- Her carelessness in locking the door led to a break-in.
- The company blamed the accident on the worker’s carelessness.
- A moment of carelessness while driving can cost lives.
- The teacher warned the class that carelessness in the lab could be dangerous.
Learner examples
- The glass broke because of my carelessness.
- His carelessness with the keys made everyone wait outside.
- Carelessness in the kitchen can cause a fire.
- Because of her carelessness, the important papers were lost.
- We must avoid carelessness when we work with children.
Noun
B2
state
2
sloppy or inaccurate work
Not checking details carefully in your work or writing, so there are small mistakes or it looks messy.
Usage pattern:
carelessness in [doing something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes repeat the noun unnecessarily, saying *"a careless carelessness"* instead of using an adjective like "serious" or "shocking" to describe the degree, as in "serious carelessness". Another issue is overusing "mistake" instead of naming the quality, where "carelessness" is more natural: "The mistakes in your work show carelessness."
Synonyms
sloppiness (Informal; emphasizes messy, untidy, or poorly done work.)
|
inattentiveness (Stresses not paying enough attention while doing a task.)
Antonyms
meticulousness (Stresses very careful attention to every small detail.)
|
thoroughness (Focuses on doing a job completely and carefully without missing parts.)
Collocations
carelessness in writing
|carelessness in homework
|carelessness in reporting
|show carelessness
|marked by carelessness
|carelessness about details
Themes
work
|education
|behavior
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The report was full of spelling errors and showed clear carelessness in editing.
- His carelessness in filling out the form caused delays in the application process.
- The professor criticized the carelessness in her citations and data.
- Carelessness in checking figures can make the whole analysis useless.
- The manager was frustrated by the team’s carelessness about basic quality standards.
Learner examples
- There is a lot of carelessness in this essay.
- His carelessness in homework made his grade go down.
- The boss was angry about carelessness in the final report.
- Because of carelessness in spelling, the email looked unprofessional.
- We lost marks for carelessness in small details.
Grammar
Dictionary form
carelessness
IPA
GB/kˈɛɹləsnəs/
US/kˈɛɹləsnəs/
Syllables & stress
care - less - ness (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (care)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: carelessness
- Plural: carelessness
Word family
Negative and opposite forms
careless
adjective B1
carelessly
adverb B1
Related words
caring
adjective
carer
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.