neglect

verb

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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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Synonyms & Antonyms for neglect

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Antonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Noun

keeping,
repair

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

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 The case, according to farmworkers and their advocates, demonstrates how the state agency tasked with protecting workers can fail some of those workers most vulnerable to abuse or neglect. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, 25 July 2021 In some instances, children died from sickness, according to government documents, but survivors allege that there were other deaths due to abuse and neglect that schools did not report. — NBC News, 15 July 2021 The head of a county child welfare agency in northeastern Pennsylvania was charged Tuesday with ordering workers to falsely close files on allegations of child abuse and neglect in response to public reports of a significant backlog of cases. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 8 July 2021 Chandler police on Wednesday identified a 2-year-old girl who died after being pulled from a community lake, saying there are no signs of foul play or neglect in her drowning death. — Olivia Munson, The Arizona Republic, 1 July 2021 Implementing two-factor authentication, for instance, is a step that companies often neglect for critical systems such as email, or remote access. — James Rundle, WSJ, 18 June 2021 One is the myth that working moms neglect their children. — Elissa Strauss, CNN, 15 June 2021 The government has taken notice and now places harsh penalties–large fines to jail time–on those who neglect their parents. — Sara Zeff Geber, Forbes, 8 June 2021 An administration’s success often comes down to an art too many presidents neglect: managing the government well. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun On July 23, Jeremy Whitney Frazier, 34, and Heather Marie Frazier, 34, the child’s parents and residents of Mount Airy, were charged with involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a minor, according to the statement. — Washington Post, 27 July 2021 Participants in the bucket of a high level of base-rate neglect were 1.75 times more likely to be financially vulnerable. — Carla Fried, Star Tribune, 24 July 2021 In less than two weeks, Lebanon will mark a year since a huge explosion in Beirut port, which was largely blamed on government neglect, devastated the capital, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands. — Ghazi Balkiz, Ben Wedeman And Kareem Khadder, CNN, 23 July 2021 Though Jay may owe his survival to the intervention of David, a rich white guy with pull at the hospital, the existence of the Pit itself is revealed to be a product not so much of institutional neglect as of necessity. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 22 July 2021 Decades of disinvestment and neglect, experts say, have left this infrastructure in some cases violating federal standards – or vulnerable to shocks such as February’s freeze. — Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2021 After Will’s sudden death at 54, young John E. ran the family printing business into the ground, apparently through neglect. — oregonlive, 20 July 2021 Then-Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill's office also sued Stark and his Charlestown attraction in February 2020, alleging animal abuse and neglect and seeking to have all animals on the property moved to sanctuaries. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 17 July 2021 Experts have said a combination of damage and neglect can be dangerous. — Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, 11 July 2021

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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Learn More About neglect

Dictionary Entries Near neglect

Negishi

neglect

neglectable

Statistics for neglect

Last Updated

28 Jul 2021

Cite this Entry

“Neglect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neglect. Accessed 2 Aug. 2021.

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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.

Choose the Right Synonym for neglect

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.

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