Mindless means done without thinking or attention, like an action you perform automatically without engaging your brain. When you mindlessly scroll through videos on your phone, you're not really paying attention to what you're seeing. Your thumb just keeps swiping while your mind drifts somewhere else.

The word often describes repetitive tasks that don't require much thought. Factory workers in the 1800s performed mindless assembly line work, doing the same simple motion thousands of times each day. Today, someone might do mindless chores like folding laundry while listening to music, because the task is so routine that their hands know what to do without mental effort.

Mindless can also mean thoughtless or showing poor judgment. A mindless prank might seem funny in the moment but cause real harm because the prankster didn't think through the consequences. Mindless destruction, like smashing things just for the sake of breaking them, shows a lack of consideration or purpose.

The opposite of mindless is mindful, which means paying careful attention. When you eat mindlessly, you might finish an entire bag of chips without noticing. When you eat mindfully, you taste each bite and notice when you're actually full.