inattentive

UK/ˌɪn.əˈtɛn.tɪv/US/ˌɪn.əˈtɛn.tɪv/

adjectiveB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,184 of 15,258neutral

Inattentive means not paying proper attention. An inattentive driver.

It describes a failure of attention rather than of intention, which matters when blame is being handed out. Inattentive driving is a specific offence rather than a general criticism.

Definitions of inattentive

1adjectiveinattentiveNot paying proper attention.B2+
“An inattentive moment at that junction is all it takes.”

inattentive is a quality.

Where it comes from

Old French
attentif
Middle English
attentif
English
attentive
English, today
inattentive

From in- + attentive. attentive comes from Middle English attentif, attentijf, from Old French attentif.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

inattentive in the wild

The lovers often accuse the guaita of dozing, being inattentive or separating them too early.
Alba (poetry)
Without being inattentive, he was a pupil who did not settle in well to school life with the priests at boarding school.
Olivier de Kersauson
Several types of ADHD can present in Adults including inattentive ADHD, Hyperactivity, Impulsive ADHD, and Combined type.
Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale
However, Bekri Mustafa Pasha was not successful against the advancing army of the Holy Roman Empire, and he was heavily criticized for being inattentive to state affairs.
Bekri Mustafa Pasha
By the ending track, "Two People", "Patty" is beaten and raped and attempts to plead a case to an inattentive judge.
Where's My Daddy?

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the attentif family

attentive

inattentive — used about once every 41,009 pages · #14,184 · point at the bar for the others

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