as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
an incautious comment got her in political hot water
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Recent Examples of incautious
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
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Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Yet that may send the message that both borrowers and lenders can continue pursuing incautious practices in the expectation of a bailout.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
And of course, panic made people incautious.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incautious
Adjective
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The driver of the truck was cited for careless driving; the vehicle was not equipped with chains, but chains were not required under state law in Friday morning’s conditions, according to Colorado State Patrol.—
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Drug, alcohol, careless living.—
Adjective
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Single-Food Diets Diets that rely on a single food or drink, such as the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, or Master Cleanse drink diet, as well as diets that rely on a single food group, like the fruitarian diet, are unsafe and lack key nutrients your body needs to function.—
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Since the video was posted, Hasan, who is Somali, said his center has received harassing phone calls making staff members and parents feel unsafe.—
Adjective
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His reckless decision to escalate the aggression and number of immigration agents is a causal factor, regardless of the outcome of an investigation into this tragic death.—
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Cowards habitually flee what is painful, while someone who acts bravely because of excessive confidence is simply reckless.—
Cite this Entry
“Incautious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incautious. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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