adverb B1 Intermediate

carelessly

KEH-uh-luhs-lee

Carelessly (adverb) means Without proper attention or caution. Example: “He tossed the papers carelessly onto the desk.”

adverb

Without proper attention or caution.

"He tossed the papers carelessly onto the desk."

"She drove carelessly through the school zone."

How to use carelessly

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDoing something in a sloppy or inattentive way.

Common pairings

tossed carelessly spoke carelessly

more carelessly comparative, most carelessly superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

He tossed the papers _____ onto the desk.

From careless + -ly.

rakishly raffishly heedlessly incautiously

cautiously heedlessly incautiously

expressly aimlessly endlessly hopelessly painlessly fearlessly recklessly helplessly tirelessly ruthlessly selflessly needlessly

What does “carelessly” mean?

The word “carelessly” means without proper attention or caution. In plain terms, doing something in a sloppy or inattentive way.

How do you pronounce “carelessly”?

“Carelessly” is pronounced KEH-uh-luhs-lee (/ˈkɛɹləsli/ in IPA).

How do you use “carelessly” in a sentence?

Here is “carelessly” used in a sentence: “He tossed the papers carelessly onto the desk.”

What part of speech is “carelessly”?

“Carelessly” is an adverb.

Vocabulary lists that include carelessly:

cautiously heedlessly incautiously