ignore

verb

ig·​nore ig-ˈnȯr 

ignored; ignoring

transitive verb

1

: to refuse to take notice of

2

: to reject (a bill of indictment) as ungrounded

ignorable

ig-ˈnȯr-ə-bəl 

adjective

ignorer noun

Synonyms

• forget
• disregard
• overlook
• neglect

Choose the Right Synonym for ignore

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

Examples of ignore in a Sentence

She tried to ignore him but he wouldn't leave her alone.

I'll ignore that last remark.

If we continue to ignore these problems they will only get worse.

They ignored the warning signs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The collapse of water security in Iran has been decades in the making and is rooted in a mania for megaprojects—dam building, deep wells, and water transfer schemes—that ignored the fundamentals of hydrology and ecological balance. —Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025

Pierre LeBrun’s viewpoint Arpon, no doubt the Hughes contract injects a fresh comparable into the discussion that neither the Canadiens nor the Hutson camp can ignore, though using comparables always seems to be in the eye of the beholder. —Arpon Basu, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Silence could mean many different things for different people, going from strongly agreeing, to strongly disagreeing, or even being ignored. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025

The 26-year-old ignores the advice and begins intense survival training. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

obsolete ignore to be ignorant of, from French ignorer, from Latin ignorare, from ignarus ignorant, unknown, from in- + gnoscere, noscere to know — more at know

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ignore

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore

Kids Definition

ignore

verb

ig·​nore ig-ˈnō(ə)r 

-ˈnȯ(ə)r

ignored; ignoring

: to refuse to notice : pay no attention to

ignored his advice

ignorable

-ˈnō(ə)r-ə-bəl 

-ˈnȯ(ə)r-

adjective

ignorer noun