inattentive

[ in-uh-ten-tiv ]
See synonyms for: inattentiveinattentivelyinattentiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. not attentive; negligent: Inattentive or careless driving is a serious issue, and cell phones clearly contribute to it.

  2. characterized by or exhibiting a lack of focus or concentration:Most children are occasionally inattentive, distractible, impulsive, or highly active.

Origin of inattentive

1
First recorded in 1735–45; in-3 + attentive

Other words for inattentive

Opposites for inattentive

Other words from inattentive

  • in·at·ten·tive·ly, adverb
  • in·at·ten·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby inattentive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inattentive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inattentive

inattentive

/ (ˌɪnəˈtɛntɪv) /


adjective
  1. not paying attention; heedless; negligent

Derived forms of inattentive

  • inattention or inattentiveness, noun
  • inattentively, adverb

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