disregard
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
-
lack of regard or attention; neglect.
- Synonyms:
- oversight, inattention
-
lack of due or respectful regard.
- Synonyms:
- slight, disrespect
verb
-
to give little or no attention to; ignore
-
to treat as unworthy of consideration or respect
noun
-
lack of attention or respect
-
(often plural) social welfare capital or income which is not counted in calculating the amount payable to a claimant for a means-tested benefit
Synonym Usage
See slight.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
disregardernoun
-
disregardfulnessnoun
-
disregardableadjective
-
disregardfuladjective
-
disregardfullyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disregardsimple
-
disregardssimple
-
have disregardedperfect
-
has disregardedperfect
-
am disregardingprogressive
-
are disregardingprogressive
-
is disregardingprogressive
-
have been disregardingperfect progressive
-
has been disregardingperfect progressive
Past
-
disregardedsimple
-
had disregardedperfect
-
was disregardingprogressive
-
were disregardingprogressive
-
had been disregardingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disregard
Explanation
If everyone at the city council meeting tends to disregard anything that's said by the eccentric gentleman with the parrot on his shoulder, it means that no one pays any attention to him. To disregard something is to ignore it, or to deliberately pay it no attention. Sometimes the word is used to mean "neglect," implying that something important is not being taken care of. Disregard can also be a noun; you could complain that your family has a complete disregard for your privacy when they gather outside your bedroom door to eavesdrop on your telephone conversations.
Vocabulary lists containing disregard
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
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Purple Hibiscus
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The Boy Who Invented TV
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One of the new laws, set to take effect in January, allows the government to disregard some opinions of the attorney general, which are currently binding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Helen Guedez and her brother have chosen to disregard the ominous letter coloring the wall of the building that previously housed their dad, sister and grandmother.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The changes also help to assuage potential anxiety operators might have felt about disregarding state and local laws and the lawsuits that result from that disregard for the law.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
The allure of rockets, orbital data centers and Mars colonies has led many investors to completely disregard traditional valuation models when it comes to SpaceX.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
It has never occurred to either of them to question Ashima’s grandmother’s selection, to disregard an elder’s wishes in such a way.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
As Mr. McGurn observes, it’s ironic that Pope Leo, previously an Augustinian friar, disregards the seminal work on just-war philosophy by his order’s namesake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
It focuses tightly on the plain text of a law and disregards legislative history—committee reports, floor debates, and the like—as irrelevant.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2026
In the more pessimistic schema, Tesla succumbs to competition and margin pressure, the market disregards Optimus in valuations and Robotaxi has slower growth expected.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 8, 2025
In Australia, two teenagers last week launched a High Court challenge, arguing the ban disregards the rights of children.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
The law says the penalty is harsher if someone should have known of the risks and harsher still—manslaughter—if the person does know the risks and wantonly disregards them.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
She said that an expert for the prosecution conceded that point and that the data from Grossman’s Mercedes had anomalies and should be disregarded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
"We want to make sure Australia doesn't become like other countries, where people have this sense they are disconnected from our economy and disregarded from our society," Chalmers said on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Warning signs were ignored and Katie's lived experience was disregarded.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
He was so locked into the assumption that only a man could have killed Cynthia that he disregarded Perkins’ multiple alleged confessions.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
The paper would have been disregarded as meaningless had it not been encased in a glass frame, hinting at greater importance.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The changes also help to assuage potential anxiety operators might have felt about disregarding state and local laws and the lawsuits that result from that disregard for the law.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
He added that Massie had his enemies in the state politics – acquired by not playing nice with local business leaders and disregarding the everyday work of legislating in favour of high-publicity efforts.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Barrett, too, sounded skeptical that Clement and Sauer could insist that Congress preserved one historical aspect of elections—requiring ballots on Election Day—while disregarding the rest.
From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2026
“They’re really flagrantly disregarding the entire regulatory structure that exists in the U.S.,”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Hassan placed twenty-two dollars on the counter, which the girl promptly slid into a pocket of her shorts, flagrantly disregarding the cash register before her.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
