negligent
Loading your saved state.
negligent
Acting without the required care and attention, often resulting in damage. This can refer both to everyday situations and to the legal sense.
Das Feuer wurde durch fahrlässigen Umgang mit Zigaretten verursacht.
The fire was caused by negligent handling of cigarettes.
Although it looks that way, 'fahrlässig' (negligent) has nothing to do with the verb 'fahren' (to drive/travel). It comes from the old word 'vār' (danger) and literally means that one allows a danger to occur through carelessness.
Er hat die Warnung ignoriert und sich in Gefahr begeben.
He ignored the warning and put himself in danger.
'Fahrlässig' (negligent) can be used as an adjective before a noun, as in 'ein fahrlässiger Fehler' (a negligent mistake), or as an adverb to describe an action, as in 'fahrlässig handeln' (to act negligently).
Sein fahrlässiges Verhalten führte zu dem Unfall.
His negligent behavior led to the accident.
Common combinations are 'fahrlässig handeln' (to act negligently) and 'fahrlässiges Verhalten' (negligent behavior). In a legal context, there are fixed terms such as 'grob fahrlässig' (grossly negligent) and 'fahrlässige Tötung' (negligent homicide/manslaughter).
Das Gericht verurteilte ihn wegen fahrlässiger Brandstiftung.
The court convicted him of negligent arson.
irresponsible
Both words criticize risky behavior. Fahrlässig is especially appropriate when someone fails to exercise the required care and this could cause harm. Unverantwortlich gives a more general assessment that someone does not take possible consequences or their responsibility seriously; a specific duty of care does not have to be the main issue.
Die Leiterin handelte fahrlässig, weil sie die vorgeschriebene Sicherheitskontrolle vor dem Ausflug ausließ.
The leader acted negligently because she skipped the required safety check before the outing.
Die Leiterin handelte unverantwortlich, weil sie die Gruppe trotz der Unwetterwarnung zum Ausflug losschickte.
The leader acted irresponsibly because she sent the group on the outing despite the severe weather warning.
