Careless
/ˈkeər.ləs/noun
Not giving enough attention or thought to avoiding mistakes or harm.
Did you know?Careless is built from Old English *caru* (“care, sorrow, anxiety”), so the word originally sits right at the border between tenderness and grief.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵerh₂-
“To cry out, lament, or be concerned”
Old English
OE
caru
“Care, sorrow, anxiety, grief”
Old English
OE
lēas
“Free from, without, lacking”
Middle English
English
careles
“Without care; heedless or unconcerned”
Modern English
English
careless
“Not careful; inattentive or negligent”