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

• bypass
• disregard
• forget
• neglect
• overlook
• overpass
• pass over
• slight
• slur (over)

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

That was ignored by the analyst in question as well, leading to another multiplication of mineral requirements. —Michael Barnard, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023

The drone ignored multiple warnings but eventually turned away. —Bradford Betz, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2023

That’s not really a good lesson to ignore the person that’s helping us. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

What remains today is that there are many who still don’t know, or willfully ignore, the implications of the rising antisemitism of the 1930s. —Chris Yogerst, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2023

And with more policymakers looking to regulate AI, companies that ignore issues or algorithmic bias and AI discrimination may end up facing costly penalties that could have been avoided with more forethought. —IEEE Spectrum, 27 Nov. 2023

But Miyazaki, who was working on a storyboard, had no interest in talking and ignored him. —Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023

District Department of Transportation officials say the cameras have been effective at deterring bad driving, although some data also indicate the most egregious behavior continues as drivers simply ignore citations and face few consequences. —Luz Lazo, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

One such narrative ignores the history of nationalism and the national right to self-determination. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 15 Nov. 2023

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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

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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