inattentively
/ˌɪnəˈtentɪvli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪnəˈtentɪvli/ (ame, ipa)
inattentively — adverb
1. while letting your mind wander or focus on other things rather than properly not
while letting your mind wander or focus on other things rather than properly noticing or thinking about what is in front of you.
Defne listened inattentively as the lecturer described the long history of the canal.
verb + inattentively for describing how an action was carried out
Henrik flipped through the report inattentively, missing the warning on the second page.
adverb shows the result clause that follows
The night-shift nurse checked the monitor inattentively after working twelve hours straight.
Hyun nodded inattentively while scrolling through messages on her phone.
Drivers who use a phone inattentively often miss the lights changing at the junction.
- absent-mindedly
stronger sense of being mentally elsewhere
- distractedly
emphasises that something specific is pulling attention away
- carelessly
wider; includes not bothering, not just not noticing
- attentively
with focused, alert attention
- carefully
with deliberate notice and thought
文法句型
verb + inattentively
inattentively + verb
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person performing a routine action (listening, reading, driving, watching); the adverb signals that the action happened but the mind was elsewhere.