inattentiveness
Failure to focus
Inattentiveness is failure to pay attention—a state of being distracted, unfocused, or mentally elsewhere.
It can be momentary (His inattentiveness caused him to miss the turn) or chronic, as in attention disorders.
The word often carries mild reproach, suggesting someone should have been paying closer attention: The accident was caused by driver inattentiveness.
Idle mental wandering
- spaceyAbsent-minded, unfocused
- dreamyVague and pleasantly distracted
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- distractedUnable to concentrate
oblivious · lost · vacant · absorbed · woolgathering · zoned-out · unfocused · drifting
Failure to exercise care
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- sloppinessLack of neatness
- heedlessnessFailure to notice danger
- irresponsibilityFailure to meet obligations
laxity · disregard · slackness · remissness · imprecision · inaccuracy · thoughtlessness · hastiness
Break in continuity
- noiseUnwanted auditory disturbance
- smartphoneHandheld connected computer
- notificationsAutomated messages announcing events
- multitaskingDoing several things concurrently
fidgeting · chatter · overstimulation · tangents · sidetracked · boredom · restlessness · doodling
Act of leaving permanently
- disregardWillful lack of attention
- omissionFailure to include
- derelictionAbandonment of duty
- indifferenceLack of interest
unconcern · disinterest · ignoring · overlooking · forgetting · shirking · inaction · passivity
daydreaming
Idle mental wandering
- spaceyAbsent-minded, unfocused
- dreamyVague and pleasantly distracted
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
distracted · oblivious · lost · vacant · absorbed · woolgathering · zoned-out · unfocused · drifting · foggy
negligence
Failure to exercise care
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- sloppinessLack of neatness
- heedlessnessFailure to notice danger
irresponsibility · laxity · disregard · slackness · remissness · imprecision · inaccuracy · thoughtlessness · hastiness · rashness
interruption
Break in continuity
- noiseUnwanted auditory disturbance
- smartphoneHandheld connected computer
- notificationsAutomated messages announcing events
multitasking · fidgeting · chatter · overstimulation · tangents · sidetracked · boredom · restlessness · doodling · procrastination
abandonment
Act of leaving permanently
- disregardWillful lack of attention
- omissionFailure to include
- derelictionAbandonment of duty
indifference · unconcern · disinterest · ignoring · overlooking · forgetting · shirking · inaction · passivity · unresponsiveness
- absent-mindednessabsent-minded, forgetfulness, distraction, spacing out, zoning out
- inattentiondistracted, spacing, absent-minded, distraction, obliviousness
- attentionfocus, focused, attentiveness, vigilant, concentration
- indifferenceapathy, indifference, unconcern, disinterest, nonchalance
inattentivenessattentiveness
Concentrated awareness of surroundings
attention · alertness · vigilance · mindfulness · awareness
inattentivenesscare
Attentive regard for others
carefulness · heed · attentiveness · diligence · prudence
attend, attention, attentive, attendant, attendance, inattentive, inattention, attentions, attentively