as in negligence
failure to carefully think about, listen to, or watch someone or something
Many traffic accidents are the result of driver inattention. They lost several potential clients through their inattention to detail.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inattention
The surveys also tested the participants’ psychopathologies, including their risk of common mental health conditions and of specific symptoms, like fear, fatigue, sleeplessness, and inattention.
—
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
The second Trump administration inherits these contradictory tendencies of attention and inattention.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
But this isn’t new: Environmentalists have had a deep legacy of inattention, or agnosticism, to the question of race.
—Jerel Ezell, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
It's thought that morning people act with more awareness because of their tendency to sleep better and have less fatigue or inattention.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inattention
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
The second Trump administration inherits these contradictory tendencies of attention and inattention.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
But this isn’t new: Environmentalists have had a deep legacy of inattention, or agnosticism, to the question of race.
—Jerel Ezell, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
It's thought that morning people act with more awareness because of their tendency to sleep better and have less fatigue or inattention.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inattention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inattention
negligence
Noun
-
Fowler could not determine whether this was the result of negligence or an operation with malicious intent.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
-
Wyden is demanding the public release of an unclassified 2022 report that allegedly outlines years of cybersecurity negligence by major U.S. telecom companies.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inattention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inattention. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share