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Unwilling to hear or listen; determinedly inattentive; regardless; not to be persuaded as to facts, argument, or exhortation; -- with to; as, deaf to reason. O, that men's ears should be To counsel deaf, but not to flattery! Shak.

Interestedly and perseveringly attentive; steady and earnest in application to a subject or pursuit; assiduous; industrious. Seest thou a man diligent in his business he shall stand before kings. Prov. xxii. 29. Diligent cultivation of elegant literature. Prescott.

Showy in dress; attentive to dress. A dressy flaunting maidservant. T. Hook. A neat, dressy gentleman in black. W. Irving.

Attentive; zealous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

To penetrate mentally; to consider attentively; -- with into. He is particularly pleased with . . . Sallust for his entering into internal principles of action. Addison.

Heedless; careless; neglectful; inattentive. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Heb. xiii. 2.

One overattentive to forms, or too much confined to them; esp., one who rests in external religious forms, or observes strictly the outward forms of worship, without possessing the life and spirit of religion. As far a formalist from wisdom sits, In judging eyes, as libertines from wits. Young.

Polite and attentive to ladies; courteous to women; chivalrous.

To view attentively; to gloat on; to stare at. [Obs.] Wright.

To give heed to; to hear attentively. [Archaic] The King of Naples . . . hearkens my brother's suit. Shak. To hearken out, to search out. [Obs.] If you find none, you must hearken out a vein and buy. B. Johnson.

Full of heed; regarding with care; cautious; circumspect; attentive; vigilant. Shak. -- Heed"ful*ly, adv. -- Heed"ful*ness, n.

Without heed or care; inattentive; careless; thoughtless; unobservant. O, negligent and heedless discipline! Shak. The heedless lover does not know Whose eyes they are that wound him so. Waller. -- Heed"less*ly, adv. -- Heed"less*ness, n.

Trifing; inattentive; frivolous.

Not prudent; wanting in prudence or discretion; indiscreet; injudicious; not attentive to consequence; improper. -- Im*pru"dent*ly, adv. Her majesty took a great dislike at the imprudent behavior of many of the ministers and readers. Strype.

The quality of being inadvertent; lack of heedfulness or attentiveness; inattention; negligence; as, many mistakes proceed from inadvertence. Inadvertency, or want of attendance to the sense and intention of our prayers. Jer. Taylor.

Not turning the mind to a matter; heedless; careless; negligent; inattentive. An inadvertent step may crush the snail That crawls at evening in the public path. Cowper. -- In`ad*vert"ent*ly, adv.

Not considerate; not attentive to safety or to propriety; not regarding the rights or feelings of others; hasty; careless; thoughtless; heedless; as, the young are generally inconsiderate; inconsiderate conduct. It is a very unhappy token of our corruption, that therinconsiderate among us as to sacrifice morality to po…

Want of curiosity or interest; inattentiveness; indifference. Sir H. Wotton.

Not curious or inquisitive; without care for or interest in; inattentive; careless; negligent; heedless. Carelessnesses and incurious deportments toward their children. Jer. Taylor.

Feeling no interest, anxiety, or care, respecting anything; unconcerned; inattentive; apathetic; heedless; as, to be indifferent to the welfare of one's family. It was a law of Solon, that any person who, in the civil commotions of the republic, remained neuter, or an indifferent spectator of the contending parties, sh…