negligence

noun

neg·​li·​gence ˈne-gli-jən(t)s 

1

a

: the quality or state of being negligent

b

: failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances

… his naivete and negligence had been the source of his problems.

—Michael Leahy

2

: an act or instance of being negligent

regretted his past negligences

Synonyms

• neglectfulness
• carelessness
• neglect

Examples of negligence in a Sentence

The company was charged with negligence in the manufacturing of the defective tires.

exhibiting his usual negligence, he failed to set the emergency brake, and the car rolled down the steep hill and crashed into the telephone pole

Recent Examples on the Web

The teen driver was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, along with two infractions -- driving at an unsafe speed and violation of the provisional licensing program, prosecutors confirmed to ABC News on Thursday. —Megan Forrester, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2025

Singh now faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, with enhancements for multiple victims. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025

The district attorney's office is now pursuing two lesser charges against him — vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and child abuse/endangerment under circumstances or conditions likely to cause GBI or death — per the district attorney's news release. —Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025

Why timing matters Industry data shows that most coverage lapses occur not because of negligence but because of short-term cash shortages. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English necligence, neglicence, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin neglegentia, neclegentia, from neglegent-, neglegens, necligens negligent + -ia -ia entry 1

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing negligence

• culpable negligence

Kids Definition

negligence

noun

neg·​li·​gence ˈneg-li-jən(t)s 

1

a

: the quality or state of being negligent

b

: failure to take the care that a reasonably cautious person usually takes

2

: an act or instance of negligence

Legal Definition

negligence

noun

neg·​li·​gence ˈne-gli-jəns 

: failure to exercise the degree of care expected of a person of ordinary prudence in like circumstances in protecting others from a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm in a particular situation

also : conduct that reflects this failure

called also ordinary negligence, simple negligence

compare abuse sense 2, due care, intent

Note: Negligence may render one civilly and sometimes criminally liable for resulting injuries.

— collateral negligence

: negligence on the part of an independent contractor that is not connected with a manner of working or risk ordinarily associated with particular work and for which the employer of the contractor is not liable

— comparative negligence \ kəm-​ˈpar-​ə-​tiv-​ \

a : negligence of one among multiple parties involved in an injury that is measured (as in percentages) according to the degree of its contribution to the injury

the comparative negligence of the plaintiff

b : a doctrine, rule, or method of apportioning liability and damages in tort law: negligence and damages are determined by reference to the proportionate fault of the plaintiff and defendant with the negligence of the plaintiff not constituting an absolute bar to recovery from the defendant compare contributory negligence in this entry

Note: The great majority of states have replaced the doctrine of contributory negligence with that of comparative negligence.

: an affirmative defense alleging comparative negligence by the plaintiff

— contributory negligence

: negligence on the part of a plaintiff that contributed to the injury at issue

: a now largely abolished doctrine in tort law: negligence on the part of a plaintiff that contributed to the injury at issue will bar recovery from the defendant

also : an affirmative defense based on this doctrine

— criminal negligence

: a gross deviation from the standard of care expected of a reasonable person that is manifest in a failure to protect others from a risk (as of death) deriving from one's conduct and that renders one criminally liable

called also culpable negligence

compare gross negligence in this entry

— gross negligence

: negligence that is marked by conduct that presents an unreasonably high degree of risk to others and by a failure to exercise even the slightest care in protecting them from it and that is sometimes associated with conscious and willful indifference to their rights see also recklessness compare criminal negligence in this entry

— negligence per se \ -​ˌpər-​ˈsā, -​ˈsē \

: negligence that consists of a violation of a statute especially designed to protect the public safety

Note: Recovery may be had on a theory of negligence per se when the harm resulting from the violation is the type that the statute is designed to prevent, the plaintiff is a member of the class of persons sought to be protected by the statute, and the violation is the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injury.

— ordinary negligence

: negligence

— passive negligence

: failure to do something (as to discover a dangerous condition on one's property) that is not a breach of an affirmative duty and that in combination with another's act is a cause of injury

— simple negligence

: negligence

— slight negligence

: failure to exercise the great degree of care typical of an extraordinarily prudent person

Note: The category of slight negligence is used much less frequently than ordinary negligence and gross negligence, the other members of a three-level classification that was formerly prevalent.