inobservant

adjective

Definition of inobservantnext
as in inattentive

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inobservant
  1. inattentive
  2. unfocused
  3. abstracted
  4. absent
  5. distracted
  6. lost
  7. oblivious
  8. preoccupied
Adjective
  • Watts was largely inattentive in those vulnerable moments, Anna says.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The system earned a perfect score for inattentive driving and high-risk driving.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of inattentive
Adjective
  • The studio removed the horror elements from the movie—in which Mulder and Scully are pulled out of retirement to consult on a case involving a missing agent—leaving it unfocused and unsatisfying.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Former staffers said the focus on winning attention led Hilton to be unfocused, chasing projects based on the potential for clicks and coverage rather than business value.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of unfocused
Adjective
  • As materials pass through hubs like Singapore, their origins often become increasingly abstracted.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Affecting meaningful change — or suffering from the lack of it — has become so abstracted for the rich and powerful that everything feels like entertainment to them.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of abstracted
Adjective
  • Commissioners Steve Harrelson and Raymond Jarvis were present while Michael White, the chairman, was absent.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The effort, which had major bipartisan support, was abandoned in favor of vote pairing, an informal arrangement where an absent lawmaker coordinates with an opposing lawmaker who agrees to abstain or withhold their vote.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of absent
Adjective
  • Passengers can also help prevent distracted driving by speaking up if a driver loses focus and assisting with navigation or other tasks to minimize distractions.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Common behaviors that can establish negligence include speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, running a red light, or making an unsafe lane change.
    — Matthew Kayser, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracted
Adjective
  • By her mid 20s Meriwether was pitching an ahead-of-its-time TV series called Sluts—a kind of lost precursor to Girls—and the screenplay Fuckbuddies, which became the romantic comedy No Strings Attached.
    — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Soto returning from an injury late in a lost season could help set a tone for next year.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of lost
Adjective
  • Lawmakers simply closed their ears to the critics and boldly pushed ahead, either oblivious or indifferent to the consequences to Maryland taxpayers.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But her run would not have been possible without the crew of everyday Americans who were completely oblivious to her techniques, lost the game badly, and then got mad at her for it.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of oblivious
Adjective
  • To this, Lawrence points out that Haymitch is pretty preoccupied with surviving his next few days in the Capitol.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug. 2026
  • They are increasingly preoccupied with internal issues and have cut weak states loose.
    — Eghosa E. Osaghae, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of preoccupied
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.

Browse Nearby Words

inobservance
inobservant
inoculate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inobservant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inobservant. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All