What’s the difference between careful, careless and carefree?

This week we are looking at a few words that could be confusing for some learners of English: careful, careless, and carefree.

careful

If you are careful, you do something with a lot of attention.

She told me to be careful with the lawnmower.

He had to be careful about what he said.

This law will encourage more careful driving.

careless

If you are careless, you do things badly because you are not giving them enough attention. Careless is the opposite of careful.

I had been careless and let him wander off on his own.

They knew they had been careless with their money.

carefree

Someone who is carefree has no worries and can therefore enjoy life.

When he was younger, he was carefree.

…her normally carefree attitude.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

Related Articles

Other Articles

Making sure you’ve understood

If you do not understand what someone has said, use I don’t understand. Sorry, I don’t understand. I didn’t understand what you said. Please could you repeat that? I didn’t understand. You can also express any uncertainty about what someone has said by using I’m not sure … Sorry, I’m… Read More

Saying goodbye

In most circumstances, you can use Goodbye when you leave a person or a place, such as a shop or bank, etc. If it’s nighttime, you can use Good night. Goodbye, Helen! Thanks for coming. Thanks for all your help. Goodbye. Good night. See you in the morning. Goodbye is… Read More

Making a phone call

Making a phone call in English can be intimidating, so here are some phrases to help you. Once you’ve made the call and someone answers, you will need to tell them who you are. Use Hello, it’s … (here). Hello Mr Hall, it’s Alex Ronaldson here. Hello, it’s Marie. Can… Read More
collinsdictionary