neglect 1 of 2

1
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for for years the barn sat in neglect until one day it finally fell down

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your ongoing neglect of your health is going to land you in the hospital someday

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

neglect

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word neglect distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of neglect are disregard, forget, ignore, overlook, and slight. While all these words mean "to pass over without giving due attention," neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

habitually neglected his studies

When could disregard be used to replace neglect?

In some situations, the words disregard and neglect are roughly equivalent. However, disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

disregarded the wishes of his family

When would forget be a good substitute for neglect?

While the synonyms forget and neglect are close in meaning, forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

forget what others say

When is ignore a more appropriate choice than neglect?

The words ignore and neglect are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

ignored the snide remark

When is it sensible to use overlook instead of neglect?

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

in my rush I overlooked a key example

In what contexts can slight take the place of neglect?

The meanings of slight and neglect largely overlap; 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 neglect
Noun
What’s more, tenants have filed a steady stream of complaints about their corporate landlords to state authorities, on issues such as maintenance neglect, undisclosed fees and wrongful evictions. Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 26 Sep. 2025 Far from being simply a denunciation of marginalization, the song becomes a sincere embrace of vulnerable childhoods, highlighting the pain of those who grow up in poverty, neglect, and, often, are forced into crime as a means of survival. Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
For nearby objects, the speed of light is great enough that the difference in time between source-and-observer can be neglected in most cases. Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025 Kidman and Urban neglected any kind of tasteful Instagram post with a joint statement. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for neglect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neglect
Noun
  • But the club closed in 2016 and remains in disrepair.
    Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The gasket of the two-door cooler was in disrepair.
    Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Last May the ruling was confirmed by the Milan Appeal Court, which rejected the charges for a slightly different reason, claiming that Tod’s should not be charged for negligence since those where tier-two subcontractors.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Jayaweera's son Surya is seeking damages for negligence and wrongful death at the statutory minimum amount of $128, 821, according to the complaint filed.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The collapse of water security in Iran has been decades in the making and is rooted in a mania for megaprojects—dam building, deep wells, and water transfer schemes—that ignored the fundamentals of hydrology and ecological balance.
    Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Pierre LeBrun’s viewpoint Arpon, no doubt the Hughes contract injects a fresh comparable into the discussion that neither the Canadiens nor the Hutson camp can ignore, though using comparables always seems to be in the eye of the beholder.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Taylor has also been an advocate of his own neighborhood, Hallmark, the 10th and often forgotten community within the West End.
    Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The historic Gold Rush settlement of Norristown located around where Sac State’s campus is today, is almost entirely forgotten.
    Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But Kempes had failed to score at the World Cup four years earlier, and started this tournament slowly.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Water bottles left behind were filled with black urine – a sign of failing kidneys and dehydration.
    Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • As an example, the team in Romania decided to focus on psychological safety, which is key in pharma, as a lack of psychological safety can lead to less innovation, groupthink, and even systems failure.
    Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Speaking of the penalty the Ferrari driver was handed, F1's governing body, the FIA, stated that Hamilton's argument of going off track to manage his brake failure situation was not justifiable.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In their complaint, the unions allege the budget office's memo unlawfully directs agencies to disregard their own authorizing statutes.
    Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
  • If a customer has no option to disregard or modify the charge, it cannot be deducted from the employee’s income.
    Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Neglect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neglect. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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