ignore

American  

[ig-nawr, -nohr] / ɪgˈnɔr, -ˈnoʊr /

verb (used with object)

ignored, ignoring

1. to refrain from noticing or recognizing.

   to ignore insulting remarks.

   Synonyms:

   overlook, neglect, disregard, slight

   Antonyms:

   regard, notice

2. Law. (of a grand jury) to reject (a bill of indictment), as on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

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ignore British  

/ ɪɡˈnɔː /

verb

1. to fail or refuse to notice; disregard

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noun

1. informal disregard

   to treat someone with ignore

Other Word Forms

• ignorable adjective
• ignorer noun
• unignorable adjective
• unignorably adverb
• unignored adjective
• unignoring adjective
• well-ignored adjective

Etymology

Origin of ignore

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin ignōrāre “to not know, disregard,” verb derivative of ignārus “ignorant, unaware” (with -ō- perhaps from ignōtus “unknown”), equivalent to in- in- ³ + gnārus “knowing, acquainted (with)”; akin to (g)nōscere “to know ¹ ”

Example Sentences

I finally looked up the species: It was a gallinazo, also known as a black vulture, and as much as we might ignore them, they’d been circling the whole time.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

The party's energy security spokeswoman Pippa Heylings said the government "cannot simply ignore the millions of families who don't get benefits, but are already facing a cost of living crisis".

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Lloyd took the most valuable shot in basketball, the one that his peers spend their entire lives obsessing over—and decided to ignore it completely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

“The IRS can simply ignore refund claims,” the TAS notes in its report to Congress.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026

Anyway, she was brave to ignore the critical chatter.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• avoid
• discount
• fail
• forget
• neglect
• overlook
• reject
• scorn