unthinking
Americanadjective
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thoughtless; heedless; inconsiderate.
an unthinking, tactless person.
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indicating lack of thought or reflection.
a dull, unthinking expression on his face.
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not endowed with the faculty of thought.
unthinking matter.
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not exercising thought; not given to reflection.
This book will not profit an unthinking person.
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not thinking; unmindful.
chores done in an unthinking manner.
adjective
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lacking thoughtfulness; inconsiderate
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heedless; inadvertent
it was done in an unthinking moment
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not thinking or able to think
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of unthinking
Explanation
Something that's unthinking is done without carefully considering how it might affect other people. An unthinking comment about your best friend's haircut might really hurt her feelings. If you do something in an unthinking way, it's automatic or impulsive. Your unthinking prejudice against a certain breed of dog, for example, might be undermined when you actually meet a sweet Doberman. And your unthinking run through your Dad's flower garden to catch a football may instantly fill you with regret: if you'd stopped and thought about it, you wouldn't have done it.
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.
Much of this squares with Mencken’s character portrait of the “booboisie,” the unthinking type of American whose numbers seem to have exploded in recent decades, perhaps in interaction with contemporary historical events.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
He seems like an unthinking product of opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
And that in turn prevents you from aimless or unthinking financial behavior.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025
Mr Harvey admitted sending them a letter in April 2017 which he now acknowledged was “crass, inappropriate… unthinking and insensitive”.
From BBC • Nov. 30, 2024
How easily this unthinking family love was forgotten.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
