thoughtless

/ˈθɔːtləs/ (bre, ipa) · [θˈɔtləs] /ˈθɔːtləs/ (ame, ipa) · [θˈɔtləs] /ˈthȯt-ləs How to pronounce thoughtless (audio)/ (ame, mw)

thoughtless — 形容詞

  • thoughtlesspositive
  • more thoughtlesscomparative
  • most thoughtlesssuperlative

1. behaving or speaking in a way that shows you have not thought about how other pe

1.形容詞B2
釋義

不體貼

言行未考慮他人感受

behaving or speaking in a way that shows you have not thought about how other people might feel or what they might need

例句

It was thoughtless of Ishaan to talk loudly on the phone during the meeting.

Ishaan 在會議中大聲講電話，沒有顧慮到其他人，真是不體貼。

it + be + thoughtless + of + person + to-infinitive

Shirin regretted her thoughtless comment about her colleague's new haircut.

Shirin 很後悔自己說了那句不體貼的話，評論同事的新髮型。

同義詞
  • inconsiderate

    most direct synonym; same meaning and register

  • tactless

    specifically about saying the wrong thing in a social situation

  • insensitive

    focuses more on not noticing or caring about others' emotions

反義詞
  • considerate

    the direct opposite — thinking about how your actions affect others

  • thoughtful

    implies actively trying to make others feel good, not just avoiding hurting them

文法句型

it + be + thoughtless + of + someone + to do something

thoughtless + noun (remark / comment / words / act)

用法筆記

Common in the pattern 'it was thoughtless of someone to do something'. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes careless errors or oversights, not behaviour that upsets people.

常見錯誤

❌He was thoughtless to lose the report.
✅He was careless to lose the report.
💡'thoughtless' (inconsiderate) describes behaviour that hurts feelings; for failing to take care of things, use 'careless'.
❌I made a thoughtless error on the exam.' (if you mean a careless mistake).
✅I made a careless error on the exam.
💡'thoughtless' in the inconsiderate sense is about actions that affect people, not mistakes on paper.

2. done or produced without taking the time to think carefully, often resulting in

2.形容詞B1
釋義

粗心

未經仔細思考而犯錯

done or produced without taking the time to think carefully, often resulting in mistakes or problems

例句

A thoughtless error in the calculations cost the company thousands of dollars.

計算中的一個粗心錯誤讓公司損失了好幾千美元。

thoughtless + error / mistake (careless action mistakes)

In a thoughtless moment, Tendai sent the email without checking the attachments.

Tendai 一時粗心，還沒檢查附件就把 email 寄出去了。

in a thoughtless moment (short episode of carelessness)

同義詞
  • careless

    closest synonym; same register and meaning

  • heedless

    more formal, suggests deliberately ignoring risks

  • negligent

    more formal; often used in legal or professional contexts

  • reckless

    stronger; implies knowingly taking dangerous risks

反義詞
  • careful

    direct opposite — taking time to avoid mistakes

  • thorough

    implies attention to detail and completeness

文法句型

thoughtless + noun (error / mistake / decision / moment)

用法筆記

Often modifies nouns for oversights or errors (thoughtless mistake, thoughtless error, thoughtless slip). Not used to describe someone who lacks intelligence — that meaning is 'stupid', not 'thoughtless'. Distinguish from sense 1, which focuses on upsetting others rather than making mistakes.

常見錯誤

❌She was thoughtless to forget my birthday.' (if you mean she hurt your feelings).
✅She was inconsiderate to forget my birthday.
💡using the careless sense for a social situation that involves others' feelings may confuse readers.