inattentive

[ in-uh-ten-tiv ]

/ ˌɪn əˈtɛn tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inattentive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not attentive; negligent.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of inattentive

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

SYNONYMS FOR inattentive

heedless, oblivious, unmindful, preoccupied.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inattentive ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsin·at·ten·tive·ly, adverbin·at·ten·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inattentive

She never liked her mother—a frigid and inattentive woman—but adored her father.
A Sex Addiction Expert Diagnoses Lars Von Trier’s ‘Nymphomaniac’|Lizzie Crocker|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Row is understated, luxurious, and inattentive to trends.
CFDA Honors Behind-the-Scenes Fashion Stars and Understated Style|Robin Givhan|June 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The house grew restless, inattentive, Andrew flogged his soul until he seemed to sweat his heart's blood.
The Mountebank|William J. Locke
And we then suppose that a part of what the witnesses have said is untrue, or assume that they were inattentive, or blind.
Criminal Psychology|Hans Gross

Of this circumstance both Billy and his master were no inattentive spectators from their exalted stations.
Fairy Legends and Traditions of The South of Ireland|T. Crofton Crocker
Miranda is not inattentive—she is fascinated by the story—but her father attributes his own wandering thoughts to her.
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8|Charles H. Sylvester
At lectures it was a failure; it was such an inattentive beggar that its notes were worth nothing.
Sport Royal|Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for inattentive

inattentive

/ (ˌɪnəˈtɛntɪv) /

adjective

not paying attention; heedless; negligent

Derived Formsinattention or inattentiveness, nouninattentively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inattentive

inattentive

adj.

1741, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + attentive. Related: Inattentively; inattentiveness.