negligent

adjective

neg·​li·​gent ˈne-gli-jənt 

1

a

: marked by or given to neglect especially habitually or culpably

… was a careless workman, negligent of details.

—Edith Hamilton

b

: failing to exercise the care expected of a reasonably prudent person in like circumstances

negligent about traffic regulations

The defendant in a negligence action may use contributory negligence as a defense. If the plaintiff is also negligent and that negligent action contributed to the loss, he or she may be denied recovery.

—Robert I. Mehr

2

: marked by a carelessly easy manner

negligently adverb

Did you know?

To be negligent is to be neglectful. Negligence is an important legal concept; it's usually defined as the failure to use the care that a normally careful person would in a given situation. Negligence is a common claim in lawsuits regarding medical malpractice, auto accidents, and workplace injuries. But you can also be negligent about answering your email, or negligent in the way you dress. (The original garment called a negligee was worn by women who had neglected to get fully dressed.) The legal meanings of negligent and negligence, however, tend to be the ones we most often encounter nowadays.

Synonyms of negligent

• neglectful
• careless
• neglecting
• lazy

Choose the Right Synonym for negligent

negligent, neglectful, lax, slack, remiss mean culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness.

negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.

negligent about writing a note of thanks

neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.

a society callously neglectful of the poor

lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.

a reporter lax about accurate quotation

slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.

slack workmanship

remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.

had been remiss in their familial duties

Examples of negligent in a Sentence

The fire was started by a negligent smoker.

He was negligent in not reporting the accident to the police.

Recent Examples on the Web

Claims against the bank of negligent failure to prevent physical harm and reasonable care as a banking institution, and aiding and abetting trafficking violations in the initial complaint, were dismissed by Rakoff in mid-February. —Charlotte Observer, 28 Mar. 2026

The lawsuit also alleged that Goodenbour and USF were negligent, meaning the university and the coaching staff had a duty to care for the twins and had failed to do so. —Julia Haney, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026

The seconds that followed — Morrison stepped forward, the van drove ahead — led to a criminally negligent homicide charge this week against the driver of the van, Oscar Pedrozo, and to decidedly different views over whether the charge is warranted. —Dan Morse, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2026

The jury in Los Angeles found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design of their platforms, and that this negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff. —Tim Smith, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English necligent, negligent, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin neglegent-, neglegens (also neclegens, negligens), present participle of neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about, fail to care for" — more at neglect entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

negligent

adjective

neg·​li·​gent ˈneg-li-jənt 

1

: marked by or likely to show neglect

2

: failing to take proper or normal care

negligently adverb

Legal Definition

negligent

adjective

neg·​li·​gent ˈne-gli-jənt 

: marked by, given to, or produced by negligence

a negligent act

the defendant was negligent

negligently adverb