heedless

adjective

ˈhēd-ləs How to pronounce heedless (audio)
Definition of heedlessnext
as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble heedless drivers who back out of parking spaces without looking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heedless Humanity is heedless of all the clutter in those bands. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 16 Apr. 2026 The rules of polite society would bar this particular group from fraternizing together in such a heedless manner, but the Bridgerton wrap party brought the crew together for what appears to have been a very good time indeed. — Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026 At the time, investors were understandably looking ahead to an all-inclusive fourth-quarter ramp, which probably would have tripped into excessive optimism and heedless speculation. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026 While Sammie is naive, impatient, and yearning for adulthood, Delta Slim is wise, heedless yeet unflappable, and the surprising steady voice when the juke joint descends into chaos. — Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heedless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heedless
  1. careless
  2. unsafe
  3. reckless
Adjective
  • The Most The business owners who get burned in an exit are almost never careless.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
  • Still, multitasking can lead to careless errors, irritability or burnout, so take it easy.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Definition of careless
Adjective
  • It is considered unsafe to swim in the rivers for at least 48 hours after a storm.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • As repair and evaluation work continues following major breaks in the Haverhill sewer line over a week ago, a nonprofit’s testing is still showing unsafe levels of fecal bacteria downstream in the Merrimack River.
    — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026
Definition of unsafe
Adjective
  • The insults often accompany reports and even videos of kids and teens engaging in reckless riding — weaving through traffic, running stop signs, ignoring pedestrians, and performing stunts like wheelies in opposing lanes, sometimes without helmets.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • Platner has faced multiple allegations of reckless and drunken behavior and disturbing behavior toward women since launching his campaign in August.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of reckless

Browse Nearby Words

heeding
heedless
heedlessly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heedless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heedless. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on heedless

Nglish: Translation of heedless for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulcrum

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All