เผลอ
be absent-minded
Native recording
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- 1 be absent-minded、let one’s guard down
- 2 accidentally、unintentionally、without realizing it
This word describes a momentary lapse in attention or conscious control. On its own it means to let one’s guard down; before another verb, it means doing something unintentionally or without realizing it.
be absent-minded、let one’s guard down
Describes briefly losing focus, becoming absent-minded, or letting one’s guard down.
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อย่าเผลอนะ yàa phlə̌ə ná Don’t let your guard down. อย่าเผลอนะ details
accidentally、unintentionally、without realizing it
Placed before a verb, it shows that the action happened unintentionally, without awareness, or before the person could consciously control it.
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เผลอพูดความลับออกไป phlə̌ə phûut khwaam láp ɔ̀ɔk pay I accidentally let the secret slip. เผลอพูดความลับออกไป details
Learning notes
Explanation
The core idea of เผลอ is a temporary loss of attention, awareness, or self-control. It can stand on its own, as in อย่าเผลอ “Don’t let your guard down.” More commonly, it appears before another verb: เผลอลืม “accidentally forget,” เผลอพูด “let something slip,” เผลอกิน “end up eating without meaning to,” or เผลอยิ้ม “smile without realizing it.” It is not limited to mistakes. It can also describe spontaneous reactions or giving in to an impulse. In เผลอหลับ, the word modifies “fall asleep”; “doze off” is not a separate sense of เผลอ itself.
Usage
It is common when talking about everyday lapses such as forgetting something, saying the wrong thing, or revealing a secret. It also fits spontaneous or uncontrolled actions, such as eating more than intended, smiling automatically, or falling asleep on a train. อย่าเผลอ is a common warning meaning “Don’t let your guard down.”
Caution
Do not use เผลอ for a deliberate or planned action. Using it alone to explain serious negligence may sound as though the speaker is minimizing responsibility. For an event that simply happened by chance, บังเอิญ is usually more appropriate.
Differences from similar words
1 be absent-minded synonyms
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ประมาท is a stronger, somewhat more formal word for negligence or carelessness that may lead to harm. เผลอ is common in everyday speech and can describe any brief lapse of attention.
2 accidentally synonyms
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บังเอิญ means that an event or encounter happened by chance. เผลอ usually describes something a person did through inattention or without conscious awareness.