1
as in neglectfulness
failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in neglect
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
the factory's owners are being charged with criminal negligence for the fire that killed a dozen workers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of negligence
Importantly, the president already has full legal authority to impose tariffs when other nations’ behavior places an unreasonable burden on our economy, including through environmental negligence.
—
Chip Lamarca, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
In short, whereas every other state in America relies on a comparative negligence model to determine liability for who is to blame for a construction accident, New York imposes absolute liability on property owners and contractors no matter what.
—Elizabeth Crowley, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
The series explores many multifaceted issues, including Sydney's historical negligence towards anti-gay violence, the warped effects of grief, disparities in wealth and justice, and the toxic dynamics between Australians and Americans.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
An investigation has been opened into the managers of the bar, who are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence, police said.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for negligence
Chip Lamarca, Sun Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
In short, whereas every other state in America relies on a comparative negligence model to determine liability for who is to blame for a construction accident, New York imposes absolute liability on property owners and contractors no matter what.
—Elizabeth Crowley, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
The series explores many multifaceted issues, including Sydney's historical negligence towards anti-gay violence, the warped effects of grief, disparities in wealth and justice, and the toxic dynamics between Australians and Americans.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026
An investigation has been opened into the managers of the bar, who are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence, police said.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for negligence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for negligence
Noun
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The sites of protest include small cities such as Abadan and the Kurdish-majority Malekshahi in the southwestern Ilam province, where economic grievances, unemployment, and state neglect are stark.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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For neighborhood residents, the properties have become symbols of disinvestment and neglect, drawing growing calls for city government to intervene.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the turnovers that are born of carelessness?—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Straight-up errors, like the errant pass from James Tarkowski that led to Brentford’s opener, or Tim Iroegbunam’s carelessness before their third, have not been common flaws.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Patients’ failure to take their medicine as prescribed is a major challenge that contributes to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs annually.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Continue reading … SKIDDING TO SAFETY – All plane tires burst on Boeing 767 during harrowing landing failure.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Each application will be reviewed individually, giving regulators greater flexibility while retaining tight oversight.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
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That does not mean regulators should let businesses operate without oversight.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Waves of hotel loan defaults and plunging values for lodging properties have swamped the Bay Area hotel market.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
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The goal is to make secure self-custody the default standard for enterprises, not the exception.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Negligence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/negligence. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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