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
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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
What gives “Absolution” its unique depth is that neither the vulnerable newcomer Patricia nor the sophisticated, heedless Charlene has cornered the market on all virtues.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2023
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
The trial has been widely viewed as a test of whether Fox's coverage crossed the line between ethical journalism and the heedless pursuit of ratings, as Dominion alleges and Fox denies.
From Reuters • Apr. 10, 2023
And I became nervous and fearful that some heedless word, some turn in a careless conversation should bring that expression back to his eyes again.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
