- taking little or no notice; careless or thoughtless
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
heed•less
(hēd′lis),USA pronunciation adj.
heed′less•ly, adv.
heed′less•ness, n.
- careless;
thoughtless;
unmindful:Heedless of the danger, he returned to the burning building to save his dog.
- heed + -less 1570–80
heed′less•ness, n.
- oblivious, indifferent; negligent, uncaring, unconcerned.
- cautious, mindful, heedful.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
heedless /ˈhiːdlɪs/ adj
heed /hid/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object]
n. [uncountable]
heed•less, adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to give careful attention to:to heed a warning.
n. [uncountable]
- careful attention;
notice:Take heed my warnings.
heed•less, adj.
heed
(hēd),USA pronunciation v.t.
v.i.
n.
heed′er, n.
- to give careful attention to:He did not heed the warning.
v.i.
- to give attention;
have regard.
n.
- careful attention;
notice;
observation (usually with give or take).
- bef. 900; Middle English heden, Old English hēdan; cognate with German hüten to guard, protect; akin to hood1
- 1. note, observe, consider, mark. 3. consideration, care; caution, vigilance, watchfulness.
- 1. disregard, ignore.
'heedless' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
blithe
- careless
- headstrong
- Icarus
- improvident
- imprudent
- inadvertent
- inconsiderate
- lawless
- neglectful
- promiscuous
- reckless
- regardless
- tumble
- unmindful
- unthinking
- deep
- derelict
- dizzy
- eager
- foolhardy
- forgetful
- happy-go-lucky
- inattentive
- incautious
- jaywalk
- mindless
- observant
- overconfident
- perfunctory
- thoughtless
- trigger-happy
- unreflective
- unwary
- wanton
- shortsighted