noun · neutral
carelessness
UK/ˈkeələsnəs/US/ˈkerləsnəs/CARE·less·ness
behaviour showing a lack of attention or thought, often causing mistakes
Examples
“The error was attributed to human carelessness rather than a system fault.”
“A moment of carelessness while driving can have serious consequences.”
“Employers warned staff that repeated carelessness would lead to dismissal.”
Band 8 sentence
“Many workplace incidents result from simple carelessness rather than flaws in training or procedure.”
Collocations
- due to carelessness
- a moment of carelessness
Word family
Common mistakes
He was fired because of a carelessness.→He was fired because of carelessness.
The accident happened because he drove carelessness.→The accident happened because he drove carelessly.
Say it for a higher band
5careless→6negligence→7+carelessness
Synonyms
negligence
inattention
Easily confused
negligence
“The hospital was sued for negligence over the post‑operative care.”
Related words
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In -ness
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