neglect

verb

ne·glect | \ ni-ˈglekt

neglected; neglecting; neglects

Definition of neglect

(Entry 1 of 2)

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.

neglect

noun

Definition of neglect (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of neglecting something

2 : the condition of being neglected

Other Words from neglect Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about neglect

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Choose the Right Synonym for neglect

Verb

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

Verb

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.

Examples of neglect in a Sentence

Verb

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

Noun

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 on the Web: Verb

There’s a feeling in college baseball like we’ve been neglected and left behind. — Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, "College baseball should be ashamed of ‘dehumanizing’ way it treats unpaid assistants, debt-ridden players | Commentary," 29 June 2019 But to solely focus on conditions is to neglect the fact that these are not children in Child Protective Services custody. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "Children Remain in Dangerous Conditions on the Texas Border," 25 June 2019 Sixty dusty and neglected women’s shoe molds sit in neat rows on green fabric at the entrance to the palace mosque (Waiting for Admission, by Huda Lufti). — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "Can Egypt Convince the World That It Is Starting Over?," 19 Mar. 2019 On top of that, people often neglect to wash their navels well, Dr. Bailey adds. — Korin Miller, SELF, "5 Belly Button Infections You Can Get (and What to Do If You Have One)," 23 Feb. 2019 Randall has been so busy trying to attain the essence of his father, he's neglected his family. — Candice Frederick, Harper's BAZAAR, "This is Us Season 3 Episode 10: Randall Wins the Race as He and Beth Reach an Impasse," 16 Jan. 2019 After becoming speaker, however, Ryan completely neglected the question of offsets and pay-fors. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Paul Ryan’s farewell address contained a blaze of nonsense about poverty," 20 Dec. 2018 Now as much as any time in the past, there is an underclass, people who are neglected or forgotten in society, and are despised. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Why Les Misérables's Dominic West Thinks Jean Valjean Is a Better Hero Than Spiderman," 15 Apr. 2019 So, doesn't neglecting to bolster boys along with the girls, by this logic, actually limit their potential? — Christine Michel Carter, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Feminism Is Stifling Our Sons," 22 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Peterson, who was the first on the scene and failed to engage the shooter, faces unprecedented and controversial criminal charges of child neglect and culpable negligence for his failure to act on Feb. 14, 2018. — Andrew Boryga, sun-sentinel.com, "Former school cop Scot Peterson: He’s been called a coward, but is that a crime?," 7 June 2019 But after years of neglect and vandalism, the theme park has deteriorated. — John Carlisle, Freep.com, "LAND OF THE LOST Irish Hills tourist stop owner aims to restore dinosaur park," 6 June 2019 River Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Paducah also was mentioned among cases of nursing home neglect and abuse in the Senate report Toomey and Casey issued. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville nursing homes named in federal report for ‘persistent record of poor care’," 4 June 2019 The Department of Family and Protective Services investigates any death in foster care to determine whether abuse or neglect occurred, spokesman Patrick Crimmins said. — Allie Morris, ExpressNews.com, "State investigates death of foster child at San Antonio treatment center," 13 June 2019 Inspectors found that 89% of those cases between January 2015 and June 2017 were associated with evidence of potential abuse or neglect. — Nadia Kounang, CNN, "Nursing home abuse frequently goes unreported, government agency finds," 12 June 2019 And three faculty members told the Union-Tribune that neglect also is a factor, noting that some of their colleagues don’t like spending time reviewing applications, which can slow or stop the awarding of specific scholarships. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "SDSU failed to award $20 million in available scholarships over past decade," 10 June 2019 The in-custody death comes just weeks after the county — and by extension the sheriff’s office that operates the jails — was accused in two federal lawsuits of deadly instances of abuse and neglect. — Jason Green, The Mercury News, "Milpitas: Inmate dies of ‘pre-existing medical conditions’ at Elmwood Jail," 5 June 2019 This neglect of worker voices in our programs should trouble MBA students, faculty, and deans who worry about our increasingly unequal society. — Jeremy Avins, BostonGlobe.com, "Why MBAs haven’t got a clue about front-line workers," 26 Apr. 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.

History and Etymology for neglect

Verb

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 no entry 1, he entry 1, 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."

Noun

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

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Dictionary Entries near neglect

Statistics for neglect

Last Updated

4 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for neglect

The first known use of neglect was in 1529

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More Definitions for neglect

neglect

verb

English Language Learners Definition of neglect

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

: to fail to do (something)

neglect

noun

English Language Learners Definition of neglect (Entry 2 of 2)

: lack of attention or care that someone or something needs

: the condition of not being taken care of

See the full definition for neglect in the English Language Learners Dictionary

neglect

verb

ne·glect | \ ni-ˈglekt

neglected; neglecting

Kids Definition of neglect

(Entry 1 of 2)

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.

neglect

noun

Kids Definition of neglect (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

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 sense 2, negligence