Synonyms for inattentive
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Absent-minded
absent-minded, distracted, forgetful, negligent, heedless, careless, indifferent, neglectful, incurious, inconsiderate, thoughtless, reckless, unaware, listless, unmindful, absent, mindless, abstracted, light-headed, remiss, regardless, distrait
Other
unwatchful, unconcentrated, cloth-eared informal dated UK
Definitions
- adj. 1
Of or pertaining to a lack of attention; not paying attention; careless.
He was inattentive in class and did not do well in his exams.
Example sentences
- distracted I don't even know what I should be distracted from.
- negligent You are too negligent of those around you.
- forgetful My grandmother is becoming increasingly forgetful.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| inattentive | rising | |
| distracted | rising | |
| negligent | falling | |
| forgetful | rising | |
| unwatchful | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 6 letters
- absent2, remiss2
- 7 letters
- unaware3
- 8 letters
- reckless2, careless2, mindless2, listless2, heedless, distrait
- 9 letters
- negligent3, forgetful3, unmindful, incurious
- 10 letters
- regardless3, distracted3, abstracted3, neglectful3, unwatchful
- 11 letters
- indifferent3, thoughtless2
- 13 letters
- inconsiderate
- 14 letters
- unconcentrated
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (absent2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- inattentif
- Deutsch
- unaufmerksam