Synonyms of neglectful

neglectful

adjective

ni-ˈglek(t)-fəl 

as in careless

failing to give proper care and attention

he's certainly not a neglectful father as he takes very good care of his children

Synonyms & Similar Words

• careless
• lazy
• neglecting
• negligent
• derelict
• reckless
• remiss
• lax
• slack
• oblivious
• disregardful
• irresponsible
• forgetful
• heedless
• inattentive
• thoughtless
• delinquent
• unmindful
• uninterested
• disinterested
• indifferent
• unthinking
• apathetic
• incautious
• unconcerned
• unwary
• unguarded
• wild
• unheeding
• disregarding
• loose

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• careful
• conscientious
• attentive
• meticulous
• cautious
• responsible
• punctilious
• nonnegligent
• regarding
• circumspect
• painstaking
• watchful
• vigilant
• wary
• mindful
• guarded
• chary
• observant
• alert
• thinking
• provident
• thoughtful
• interested
• concerned
• heedful
• regardful
• gingerly
• foresighted
• heeding
• forethoughtful

Synonym Chooser

How is the word neglectful different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of neglectful are lax, negligent, remiss, and slack. While all these words mean "culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness," neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.

a society callously neglectful of the poor

When can lax be used instead of neglectful?

The meanings of lax and neglectful largely overlap; however, lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.

a reporter lax about accurate quotation

When might negligent be a better fit than neglectful?

While the synonyms negligent and neglectful are close in meaning, negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.

negligent about writing a note of thanks

Where would remiss be a reasonable alternative to neglectful?

The words remiss and neglectful can be used in similar contexts, but remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.

had been remiss in their familial duties

When is it sensible to use slack instead of neglectful?

The words slack and neglectful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.

slack workmanship

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of neglectful

There’s an absent father and a clueless, neglectful mother but the five Gilbert children — Lydia, Hugo, Annabel, Jeremy and Rosalind — are essentially raising themselves in an English country house of secret passages and worrying infestations. —Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 22 Jan. 2026

Stroheim himself plays the villain, one Lieutenant Eric von Steuben, who meets a vacationing American woman at an Alpine resort and tries to seduce her under the nose of her neglectful husband. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026

The lawsuit represents the latest in a string of legal filings alleging deeply problematic management and neglectful care at the jail, one of the nation’s largest and the location of several inmate deaths over the past decade. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026

True Crime, which will help readers understand her rise from a traumatic, neglectful childhood to become an award-winning police reporter and forensic expert and eventual author. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026