ignore

verb

ig·​nore ig-ˈnȯr How to pronounce ignore (audio)
ignored; ignoring

transitive verb

1
: to refuse to take notice of
2
: to reject (a bill of indictment) as ungrounded
ignorable adjective
ignorer noun
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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ignore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ignore was in 1801

Dictionary Entries Near ignore

Cite this Entry

“Ignore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignore. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

ignore

verb
ig·​nore ig-ˈnō(ə)r How to pronounce ignore (audio)
-ˈnȯ(ə)r
ignored; ignoring
: to refuse to notice : pay no attention to
ignored his advice
ignorable
-ˈnō(ə)r-ə-bəl How to pronounce ignore (audio)
-ˈnȯ(ə)r-
adjective
ignorer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ignore

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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