neglect

¹ne·glect

transitive verb \ni-ˈglekt\

Definition of NEGLECT

1

: to give little attention or respect to : disregard

2

: to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness

— ne·glect·er noun

Examples of NEGLECT

1. The building has been neglected for years.
2. The city has neglected the teacher shortage for too long.
3. The prison guard neglected his duty.

Origin of NEGLECT

Latin neglectus, past participle of neglegere, neclegere, from nec- not (akin to ne- not) + legere to gather — more at no, legend

First Known Use: 1529

Related to NEGLECT

Synonyms

bypass, disregard, forget, ignore, overlook, overpass, pass over, slight, slur (over)

Antonyms

attend (to), heed, mind, regard, tend (to)

Related Words

fail; miss, omit; brush (aside or off), reject, shrug off, slough (off) also sluff (off); disdain, pooh-pooh (also pooh), scorn; scant, skimp

Near Antonyms

appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value; cultivate, foster, nurse, nurture; pamper; remember; listen (to), watch; follow, mark, note, notice, observe, remark

Synonym Discussion of NEGLECT

neglect, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, forget mean to pass over without giving due attention. neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention <habitually neglected his studies>. disregard suggests voluntary inattention <disregarded the wishes of his family>. ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious <ignored the snide remark>. overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care <in my rush I overlooked a key example>. slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting <slighted several major authors in her survey>. forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind <forget what others say>.

Rhymes with NEGLECT

abject, advect, affect, aspect, bisect, cathect, collect, confect, connect, convect, correct, cowl-necked, defect, deflect, deject, detect, direct, Dordrecht, effect, eject, elect, erect, ewe-necked, expect, goosenecked, infect, inflect, inject, insect, inspect, object, pandect, porrect, prefect, prelect, project, prospect, protect, refect, reflect, reject, resect, respect, ring-necked, roll-necked, select, stiff-necked, subject, suspect, traject, transect, trisect, Utrecht, V-necked

²neglect

noun

Definition of NEGLECT

1

: an act or instance of neglecting something

2

: the condition of being neglected

Examples of NEGLECT

1. The park was overgrown and littered from years of neglect.
2. The parents were charged with child neglect.
3. The house is in a state of neglect.

First Known Use of NEGLECT

1588

Related to NEGLECT

Synonyms

desolation, dilapidation, disrepair, seediness

Antonyms

keeping, repair

Related Words

inattention, negligence; abandonment, desertion; decay, decrepitude, dereliction, deterioration, disintegration, dumpiness, ruin, ruination

Near Antonyms

conservation, preservation, upkeep