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# inattentive

adjective (inattentive, more inattentive); adverb «inattentively»; noun «inattention»

«inattentive» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Not paying attention; not listening or watching carefully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#m1)
2. Not giving enough care or thought to someone's needs: an inattentive host. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#m2)

### In the lessons

In school, an inattentive pupil misses instructions; in road safety, inattentive walking (looking at a phone) is dangerous. In stories, an inattentive guard lets the hero sneak past. Phrases: inattentive in class, inattentive driver, inattentive to detail.

### Examples

- The inattentive guard was asleep when the prisoner escaped. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x1)
- Being inattentive near roads is dangerous. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x2)
- I was inattentive and missed the homework instructions. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x3)
- An inattentive driver can cause an accident. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x4)
- The waiter was inattentive and forgot our drinks. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x5)
- Tiredness can make you inattentive in lessons. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/#x6)

### Note

Opposite: «attentive». Being inattentive sometimes is normal; some people have ADHD, which makes paying attention harder — it is not laziness.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «inattentive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/inattentive/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«inattentive» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/inattentive.html) on Mova free.