Synonyms and Antonyms of careful

  1. 1 having or showing a close attentiveness to avoiding danger or trouble <careful drivers slow down on slick or icy roadways> Synonyms alert, cautious, chary, circumspect, conservative, considerate, gingerly, guarded, heedful, safe, wary Related Words advertent, attentive, awake, observant, regardful, vigilant, watchful; hypercautious; foresighted, foresightful, forethoughtful, provident, thoughtful; cagey (also cagy), calculating, canny, shrewd; deliberate, slow; ultracareful, ultracautious Near Antonyms bold, brash, impetuous, rash, reckless, venturesome; asleep, inattentive, regardless; inconsiderate, thoughtless; lax, neglectful, negligent, remiss; imprudent, indiscreet, injudicious; absentminded, forgetful; inadvertent, unintentional, unplanned Antonyms careless, heedless, incautious, unguarded, unmindful, unsafe, unwary

  2. 2 taking, showing, or involving great care and effort <that furniture maker was known to be a most careful worker, so his output was small> Synonyms painstaking, conscientious, fussy, loving, meticulous, scrupulousRelated Words assiduous, diligent, indefatigable, persevering, sedulous; exhaustive, thorough, thoroughgoing; alert, attentive, observant, vigilant, watchful; accurate, exact, precise, strict; critical, demanding, discriminating, exacting, fastidious, finicky, particular; cautious, chary, circumspect, gingerly, guarded, heedful, mindful, wary; deliberate, plodding, slow; studied, thoughtful; all-out, determined, dogged, intensive, patient, tenacious, tireless, zealousNear Antonyms cursory, halfhearted; heedless, inattentive, incautious, mindless, regardless, unguarded, unsafe, unwary; lax, neglectful, negligent, slipshod, sloppy, slovenly; imprecise; inaccurate, uncritical, undemanding, undiscriminating; bold, impetuous, rash, reckless; apathetic, indifferent, lackadaisical, lazy, lazyishAntonyms careless

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