Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

negligence

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of negligence

1 failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes
  • The accident was caused by the driver's negligence.
Synonyms of negligence

carelessness, dereliction, heedlessness, incaution, incautiousness, laxness, neglectfulness, slackness
Words Related to negligence

foolhardiness, rashness, recklessness, wildness

neglect, omission

delinquency, irresponsibility, irresponsibleness, malfeasance, malpractice, misconduct

misdirection, mishandling, mismanagement

forgetfulness, inadvertence, inattention, inattentiveness, obliviousness, shortsightedness, unwariness
Near Antonyms of negligence

alertness, attention, attentiveness, awareness

circumspection, observance, vigilance, watchfulness

responsibility, responsibleness
Antonyms of negligence

care, carefulness, caution, cautiousness, heedfulness
2 the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action
  • The factory's owners are being charged with criminal negligence for the fire.
Synonyms of negligence

default, delinquency, dereliction, failure, neglect, nonfeasance, oversight
Words Related to negligence

carelessness, heedlessness, inadvertence, inadvertency, laxity
Near Antonyms of negligence

compliance, discharge, fulfillment (or fulfilment)

Learn More about negligence

  1. Dictionary: Definition of negligence Spanish Central: Translation of negligence Nglish: Translation of negligence for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of negligence for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about negligence

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up negligence? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games