benign neglect

noun

: an attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible for dealing with

Examples of benign neglect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The more important question is whether the country understands what must come next and whether government policy will help enable another century of American dominance or, through benign neglect, allow the system to centralize, stagnate, and become overly financialized. —Charles Beames, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

But even this private market existed mostly with benign neglect from the state, not through the rigorous enforcement of property rights and contracts, as under capitalism. —Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

This is good opportunity to integrate more benign neglect into your parenting style. —Alex Vance, Parents, 25 Feb. 2026

And though the game didn’t exactly explode in popularity during that period of benign neglect, estimates from MMO Populations suggest a few hundred to a few thousand players have been jetpacking around the game’s world daily. —ArsTechnica, 5 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for benign neglect

• aftereffect
• interconnect
• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect
• collect
• connect
• correct
• deflect
• detect
• direct