inattentivein‧at‧ten‧tive /ˌɪnəˈtentɪv◂/ adjective 
Examples
accidents caused by inattentive or reckless drivers—inattentively adverb—inattentiveness noun [uncountable]
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- inattentive students
- In spite of the inattentive servers and the bad decor, it's worth eating at Leon's for the great cheap food.
- Roger was hyperactive and inattentive as a child.
- The government is still being accused of being inattentive to the plight of the Health Service.
- Another hazard in dealing with inattentive children is treating them in a mechanical and inflexible manner.
- It is understandable: the child considers himself safe in the residential street and is inattentive on the way to school.
- Like Bush, Reagan was inattentive, unlearned and apparently simplistic.
- Our seemingly more inattentive child may get turned on by something other than conversations with her parents.
- That is how inattentive children feel.
- The sometimes inattentive audience only betrayed the fact that they were as much participants in the total popular-cultural spectacle as the performers.
- The storyline has twists and turns to challenge the inattentive.
Longman Language Activatornot paying attention to what is happening► not pay attention
Word family · What did the announcers just say? I wasn't paying attention.not pay attention to · When you're young, you don't pay attention to what your parents are saying half the time.
► daydream to not pay attention because you are thinking about pleasant things or imagining things that you would like to happen: · Blackthorne was sitting alone in a corner of the garden, daydreaming.daydream about: · Almost anyone who has ever read a good book has daydreamed about writing his or her own best-seller.
► switch off British informal to stop paying attention to something because you are bored, or to stop thinking about your work after you have finished in the evening and relax: · In the end I got sick of the conversation and switched off.· It's difficult for teachers to switch off when they go home at night.
► be miles away British spoken to not be paying attention to anything or anyone around you and seem to be thinking about something very different: · Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?· I don't mean to disturb you, you looked miles away -- but there's a call for you.
► your mind wanders if your mind wanders you are no longer paying attention, usually because you are bored or because something is worrying you: · I tried hard to concentrate, but my mind kept wandering.your mind wanders to/from: · His mind wandered to the things he was trying not to think about.let your mind wander: · Corrinne let her mind wander back to the days when they first met.
► inattentive someone who is inattentive does not pay attention to something when they are expected to: · Roger was hyperactive and inattentive as a child.· In spite of the inattentive servers and the bad decor, it's worth eating at Leon's for the great cheap food. inattentive to: · The government is still being accused of being inattentive to the plight of the Health Service.
► lose (your) concentration if you lose your concentration , you stop being able to think carefully about what you are doing, for example because you are suddenly interrupted: · Sensing that the team was losing their concentration, Barret called a time out.· With too much homework, children may lose concentration and stop progressing.
WORD FAMILYnounattentionattendantattentiveness ≠ inattentivenessadjectiveattentive ≠ inattentiveverbattendadverbattentively ≠ inattentively
not giving enough attention to someone or something OPP attentive: accidents caused by inattentive or reckless drivers—inattentively adverb—inattentiveness noun [uncountable]