neglect

verb ne·glect \ ni-ˈglekt \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of neglect

transitive verb

1 : to give little attention or respect to : disregard

The building has been neglected for years.

2 : to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness

The prison guard neglected his duty.

—

neglecter

noun

See neglect defined for English-language learners

See neglect defined for kids

Examples of neglect in a Sentence

The building has been neglected for years.
The city has neglected the teacher shortage for too long.
The prison guard neglected his duty.

Recent Examples of neglect from the Web

Attendees may know children who have been abused, neglected, living in poverty or unsafe neighborhoods.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windsor Edition," 3 Apr. 2018
Jade is far from the only influencer to neglect to disclose affiliate marketing relationships according to Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

— louise matsakis, WIRED, "YouTube and Pinterest Influencers Almost Never Disclose Marketing Relationships," 27 Mar. 2018
In 1992 the prominent black historian David Levering Lewis thought that Harlem’s African-American leaders neglected business in favor of the arts.

— WSJ, "Harlem Focused on Arts but Missed Other Opportunities," 25 Mar. 2018
The city found both neglected their duties in supervising Ross and following up to make sure the cases were handled properly despite the victim complaints.

— rachel dissell, cleveland.com, "At least one suspect committed another rape among 60 cases Cleveland detective failed to fully investigate, internal report says," 23 Mar. 2018
The greatest possible mistake is to neglect the Russians.

— ivan nechepurenko, The Seattle Times, "Indictment brings troll farm, 13 Russians out of shadows," 17 Feb. 2018
They had been tortured, abused and neglected for years in ways so extreme that the siblings are severely malnourished and some show signs of cognitive impairment and nerve damage, prosecutors said.

— author: paloma esquivel, Anchorage Daily News, "Those who caught glimpses of abused California children struggle to process what they missed," 25 Jan. 2018
Women are neglected in support and training programs.

— david guest, Fortune, "Commentary: How We Can Save Chocolate From Going Extinct," 24 Jan. 2018
Later, at Gianni's funeral, the priest neglects to mention D'Amico and shrugs off his hand with a scowl.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Assassination of Gianni Versace Finale: What the Hell Just Happened?," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'neglect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of neglect

borrowed from Latin neglēctus, past participle of neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about, fail to care for," from nec "not" (probably from ne- "not" + -ce, deictic element, going back to Indo-European *ḱe, *ḱi) + legere "to gather, select, read" — more at ¹no, ¹he, legend

Note: The Latin formative nec in this word and (with invariable voicing) in negō, negāre "to deny" (see negate) and negōtium "business, difficulty" (see negotiate) is presumably identical with Old Latin nec "not" and distinct from nec as a reduced form of neque "and not."

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1529

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

neglect Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of neglect

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

neglect

noun

Definition of neglect

1 : an act or instance of neglecting something

2 : the condition of being neglected

See neglect defined for English-language learners

Examples of neglect in a Sentence

The park was overgrown and littered from years of neglect.
The parents were charged with child neglect.
The house is in a state of neglect.

Recent Examples of neglect from the Web

Steuart said three cats did die at the cafe, but none from neglect.

— rené a. guzman, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio Cat Cafe has cats in dire need of care seized by city," 10 Apr. 2018
Dysfunction, neglect and out-of-whack priorities have reigned for years at the USOC, which has been blinded by huge TV contracts and sponsor fees and lulled by a lack of accountability and outside oversight.

— chicagotribune.com, "Larry Nassar wasn't the only abuser in Olympic sports," 6 Apr. 2018
After Jiang was reunited with her daughter, she was arrested on child neglect and abuse charges, The Record said.

— crystal hill, miamiherald, "Woman’s illegally parked car was towed. But her 2-year-old was still inside, NJ cops say | Miami Herald," 30 Mar. 2018
Green space abounds, most notably Fort Tryon Park, which includes a popular dog run, a heather garden where free fitness programs are offered and the New Leaf restaurant, in a building rescued from neglect in 1995 by Bette Midler and friends.

— aileen jacobson, New York Times, "Hudson Heights: A Hidden Gem, Gaining Popularity," 28 Mar. 2018
Documents show that in September 2016 an investigator with Florida's Department of Children and Families (DCF) visited the family to investigate allegations of medical neglect.

— CBS News, "Brother of Parkland shooter spends night in jail after arrest," 20 Mar. 2018
This is what Lena is talking about, neglect and invisibility.

— joe fassler, The Atlantic, "Writing a Feminist Novel With a Man's Point of View," 20 Mar. 2018
The city is giving away free gun locks after a 9-year-old Milwaukee girl was killed in an apparent accidental shooting, as her parents face possible charges related to child neglect and leaving the gun in easy reach.

— ashley luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Free gun locks available after 9-year-old Milwaukee girl was accidentally killed by brother," 12 Mar. 2018
Born to a mother who suffered from severely disordered eating, Norman procured legal emancipation from her parents at the age of sixteen, after a childhood marred by neglect and severe hunger.

— rachel vorona cote, The New Republic, "The Reality of Women’s Pain," 7 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of neglect

borrowed from Latin neglēctus, from neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about, ¹neglect" + -tus, suffix of verbal action

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1597

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

neglect Synonyms

Synonyms

desolation, dilapidation, disrepair, seediness;

Antonyms

keeping, repair;

Near Antonyms

conservation, preservation, upkeep;

Related Words

inattention, negligence;

abandonment, desertion;

decay, decrepitude, dereliction, deterioration, disintegration, dumpiness, ruin, ruination;

NEGLECT Defined for English Language Learners

neglect

verb

Definition of neglect for English Language Learners

: to fail to take care of or to give attention to (someone or something)
: to fail to do (something)

neglect

noun

Definition of neglect for English Language Learners

: lack of attention or care that someone or something needs
: the condition of not being taken care of

NEGLECT Defined for Kids

neglect

verb ne·glect \ ni-ˈglekt \

Definition of neglect for Students

neglected; neglecting

1 : to fail to give the right amount of attention to

The property has been neglected.

2 : to fail to do or look after especially because of carelessness

She neglected to say goodbye.

Synonym Discussion of neglect

neglect and disregard mean to pass over something without giving it any or enough attention. neglect is used when a person does not give, whether deliberately or not, enough attention to something that deserves or requires attention.

- You have been neglecting your homework.

disregard is used for deliberately overlooking something usually because it is not considered worth noticing.

- He disregarded the “keep out” sign.

neglect

noun

Definition of neglect for Students

1 : lack of attention or care to something or someone

neglect of duty

2 : the state of not being looked after or given attention

The house suffers from neglect.

Law Dictionary

neglect

noun ne·glect

legal Definition of neglect

: a disregard of duty resulting from carelessness, indifference, or willfulness; especially : a failure to provide a child under one's care with proper food, clothing, shelter, supervision, medical care, or emotional stability — compare abuse 2, negligence

—

neglect

transitive verb

—

neglectful

adjective

Learn More about neglect

See words that rhyme with neglect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for neglect Spanish Central: Translation of neglect Nglish: Translation of neglect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of neglect for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up neglect? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

neglect

Definition of neglect

neglecter

Examples of neglect in a Sentence

Recent Examples of neglect from the Web

Origin and Etymology of neglect

neglect Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of neglect

neglect

Definition of neglect

Examples of neglect in a Sentence

Recent Examples of neglect from the Web

Origin and Etymology of neglect

neglect Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

NEGLECT Defined for English Language Learners

neglect

Definition of neglect for English Language Learners

neglect

Definition of neglect for English Language Learners

NEGLECT Defined for Kids

neglect

Definition of neglect for Students

Synonym Discussion of neglect

neglect

Definition of neglect for Students

Law Dictionary

neglect

legal Definition of neglect

neglect

neglectful

Learn More about neglect

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Trending: 'Venom' Trailer Drives Searches for 'Symbiote'

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes