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Definition of disregardnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word disregard distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of disregard are forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, and slight. While all these words mean "to pass over without giving due attention," disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

disregarded the wishes of his family

In what contexts can forget take the place of disregard?

The words forget and disregard are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

forget what others say

When would ignore be a good substitute for disregard?

While the synonyms ignore and disregard are close in meaning, ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

ignored the snide remark

When is neglect a more appropriate choice than disregard?

The words neglect and disregard can be used in similar contexts, but neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

habitually neglected his studies

Where would overlook be a reasonable alternative to disregard?

The synonyms overlook and disregard are sometimes interchangeable, but overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care.

in my rush I overlooked a key example

When might slight be a better fit than disregard?

In some situations, the words slight and disregard are roughly equivalent. However, slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting.

slighted several major authors in her survey

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disregard
Noun
The film, based on interviews with 24 anonymous members of Israeli military intelligence and soldiers, accuses Israel of callous disregard for Palestinian civilian life in its war in Gaza. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026 Any choice for or against the work, including the choice of no-choice—of indifference or disregard—confronts the question of authenticity. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
These potential lines of attack are applicable to DeWine’s order, which authorizes colleges in his state to disregard NCAA rules. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026 For the first time in decades, immigration authorities could disregard those protections and more freely arrest, detain and deport immigrant victims. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for disregard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disregard
Noun
  • The painting’s joyful casualness belies its subject matter, clues to which can be found in the coyote on one of the men’s shirts and in the work’s title, Uncle’s Crossing (2022).
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For most, though, the dress is business casual, matching the growing casualness of their behavior in the box over the course of long sessions.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In fact, many voters in his Southern Illinois district despise him.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • For Republicans, well, there’s not much downside at all, except for those that truly despise green power or, perhaps wisely, fear increasing federal authority over local permitting matters.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • When custodians ignore or slow-walk responses, our FOIA rights diminish.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • While Florida’s legislatures have largely ignored a 2014 constitutional amendment voters approved to direct land sales taxes toward conservation, there have been several big land conservation pushes at the state level since then.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Though the board does not have the authority to forgive the charges, which will still be due by the end of the year, board President Allan Marks encouraged residents to enroll in programs that could help alleviate rising costs.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Given how many venal tech billionaires have grabbed our attention over the last several years, you’d be forgiven for having only a hazy memory of Sam Bankman-Fried.
    — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The point goes to your colleague, although Miss Manners is inclined to take back half for his indifference to social convention.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Worse still is cruelty at a level Americans can’t stomach; separation of families, outright brutality against women and the elderly, deaths by indifference, even murder.
    — Michael Kiefer, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Would Azriel, the third and final bad-boy faerie of the Night Court’s royal family, end up with Elain, the unhappy and often forgotten youngest sister of the Night Court’s High Lady, Feyre?
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t forget that many of the prewar family-size apartments all over the Upper West Side were chopped up into multiple units during the Great Depression, too.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In my case, severe endometriosis, overlooked by doctors for twenty years, destroyed my ability to have children.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Offer At My Front Door During my time on the council, a developer appealed to us after the planning board rejected his plan for condos overlooking the largest lake in town.
    — Jim Carlough, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • That man, Sana founder-CEO Joel Hellermark, leans back into his chair and smiles, throwing one leg over the other with the nonchalance of a man half Bhusri’s age.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • There’s something quietly captivating and a little uncomfortable about the pavement snaps of girlhood; some teens accompanied by mothers, others affecting nonchalance, or standing on their hands to get attention.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Disregard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disregard. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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