heedless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- heedlessly adverb
- heedlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of heedless
Explanation
Someone heedless is reckless or not paying attention. Heedless rhymes with needless, and someone who's heedless acts as if needed things are needless. If you head out to surf in a tsunami, you're heedless of the giant-wave warnings. When you pay heed to something you pay attention to it or consider it, but if you’re heedless you do the opposite. Sometimes being heedless means being a risk-taker in an exciting way, or it can just mean losing track of time, but often it describes being inconsiderate. If you keep raising the volume when your brother asks you to turn down the music, you’re heedless of his need to study, and if you're heedless of the yellow tape that says "Do not cross," you disregard the law.
Vocabulary lists containing heedless
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She said the new working plans were being implemented in a "heavy-handed way, heedless of the consequences".
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2024
But what if just the opposite of this heedless obituary for the avant-garde is true?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2024
To that end, the director Carrie Cracknell has updated Bizet’s tale of a heedless, headstrong woman and her tragic fate from early-19th-century Spain to present-day America.
From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2024
Even among the irrepressible talents of his co-stars, Perry stood out, for a rubbery, heedless way with physical comedy and a split-second timing that most stopwatches would envy.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023
‘Few now remember them,’ Tom murmured, ‘yet still some go wandering, sons of forgotten kings walking in loneliness, guarding from evil things folk that are heedless.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
