unthinking

American  

[uhn-thing-king] / ʌnˈθɪŋ kɪŋ /

adjective

1. thoughtless; heedless; inconsiderate.

   an unthinking, tactless person.

2. indicating lack of thought or reflection.

   a dull, unthinking expression on his face.

3. not endowed with the faculty of thought.

   unthinking matter.

4. not exercising thought; not given to reflection.

   This book will not profit an unthinking person.

5. not thinking; unmindful.

   chores done in an unthinking manner.

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unthinking British  

/ ʌnˈθɪŋkɪŋ /

adjective

1. lacking thoughtfulness; inconsiderate

2. heedless; inadvertent

   it was done in an unthinking moment

3. not thinking or able to think

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Other Word Forms

• unthinkingly
  adverb
• unthinkingness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of unthinking

First recorded in 1670–80; un- ¹ + thinking

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

Unthinking convenience, to the extent that Nagata’s protagonist wishes to mess it up and bring a little excitement into her routine.

From Slate • Nov. 27, 2021

Unthinking techno-optimism hasn’t, however, always served society well.

From Slate • May 10, 2019

Unthinking, half the players turn left, the rest right, as if on autopilot.

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2016

From Paris, word leaked out that onetime Wonder Boy Orson Welles, 35, was working on a new play called The Unthinking Lobster.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stannis smiled grimly Unthinking, Davos raised his maimed hand to the pouch at his throat, and felt the fingerbones within.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin