Entry Word: dereliction

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 the act of abandoning <the family's shameful dereliction of their pets at the end of the summer season>

Synonyms abandonment, desertion, forsaking

Related Words defection; discard, dumping, jettison

Near Antonyms retention

Antonyms reclamation

2 failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes <the ski area was not held responsible for the injury on account of the skierʼs own manifest dereliction> — see negligence 1
3 the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action <both sentries were to be court-marshaled for dereliction of duty> — see failure 1