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

This, in turn, leads to worse health outcomes, the report found, because women ignore or minimize symptoms until medical intervention is absolutely necessary, which may mean that treatment will be more aggressive. —Eva Rothenberg, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024

Thompson said her suggestions to prevent future Ash Street-like deals were all but ignored. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

Related Articles California could be first state to give workers right to ignore boss’s after-hours calls, texts, emails That did not pan out. —Allison Schrager, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024

Some clergy view the ban on abortions as favoring Christian values and ignoring other religions' tenets. —Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024

Bainter ignored multiple requests to comment for this story. —Mario Alejandro Ariza, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

On the 2024 campaign trail, Biden has ignored Kennedy but behind the scenes, the Democratic National Committee recently hired a team of attorneys to monitor Kennedy's efforts to get his name on ballots of key battleground states before upcoming spring and summer qualifying deadlines. —USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

Sometimes, Yarl, 17, turns inward, ignoring phone calls and texts from loved ones. —Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

Iger’s track record at Disney cannot be ignored–but he is not caught up in the past. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

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