Standard Lemma guide

inattention

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N AH0 T EH1 N CH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Lack of attention, or failure to pay attention

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disregard, heedlessness, neglect

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An act of neglect; failure of courtesy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

lack of attention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: attention

Broader terms: basic cognitive process

Narrower terms: inattentiveness, heedlessness, distraction, disregard, neglect

History

Etymology

From French inattention.

Across languages

Translations

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: невниманив (nevnimaniv) — lack of attention
  • Catalan: desatenció — lack of attention
  • Catalan: inatenció — lack of attention
  • Dutch: onoplettendheid — lack of attention
  • Esperanto: malatento — lack of attention
  • Finnish: huomion puute — lack of attention
  • French: inattention — lack of attention
  • Italian: inattenzione — lack of attention
  • Malayalam: ശ്രദ്ധക്കുറവ് (śraddhakkuṟavŭ) — lack of attention
  • Manx: antort — lack of attention
  • Manx: meehastey — lack of attention
  • Manx: meehastid — lack of attention
  • Manx: meerioose — lack of attention
  • Manx: neuarrey — lack of attention
  • Manx: neugheill — lack of attention
  • Manx: neuhastid — lack of attention
  • Norwegian: uoppmerksomhet — lack of attention
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: uoppmerksemd — lack of attention
  • Polish: nieuwaga — lack of attention
  • Polish: niedbałość — lack of attention
  • Portuguese: inatenção — lack of attention
  • Spanish: inatención — lack of attention
  • Ottoman Turkish: طالغینلق (dalgınlık) — lack of attention
  • Catalan: negligència — an act of neglect
  • Catalan: desatenció — an act of neglect
  • Finnish: laiminlyönti — an act of neglect
  • Catalan: descortesia — failure of courtesy
  • Finnish: huomaamattomuus — failure of courtesy
  • French: décourtoisie — failure of courtesy
  • French: discourtoisie — failure of courtesy
  • Galician: descortesía — failure of courtesy
  • Italian: scortesia — failure of courtesy
  • Portuguese: descortesia — failure of courtesy