inattention
inattention — noun
1. the state of not giving enough attention to what you are doing, reading, or hear
the state of not giving enough attention to what you are doing, reading, or hearing, often resulting in mistakes or missed information
Emma's inattention in maths class caused her to miss the important formulas for the test.
Tunde's brief inattention while driving almost led to a collision with a bicycle.
collocation pattern: brief inattention / a moment of inattention
The report blamed the train crash on a moment of inattention by the signal operator.
A child's inattention in class may come from not getting enough sleep at night.
Nora's inattention to the recipe instructions meant the soup came out much too salty.
- distraction
distraction suggests something external diverts attention; inattention is simply the state of not focusing
- absent-mindedness
absent-mindedness implies a habitual tendency to lose focus, not a single brief lapse
- carelessness
carelessness adds the judgment that the person did not try hard enough; inattention is more neutral
- attention
direct opposite meaning the act of focusing on something
- concentration
implies sustained, deliberate focus rather than just not being distracted
文法句型
inattention + in + place/context
moment/period of inattention
用法筆記
Uncountable noun. Most commonly appears after 'a moment of' or 'a period of', or with a preceding noun such as 'driver inattention' or 'student inattention'. The direct opposite is 'attention'.