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 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.