disregard
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disregards,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disregarded,
past participle, past
-
disregarding
present participle
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
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disregardernoun
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disregardfulnessnoun
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disregardableadjective
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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:
He continued: "In doing so, she became a criminal herself and showed a complete disregard for the standards that are expected of those in the legal profession."
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
That ruling requires public figures claiming defamation to prove speakers had “actual malice,” meaning they knew the statements were false or else acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Only after we accept that Nolan is solely interested in human mistakes can we gauge his disregard for the Greek gods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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
Emenike’s obliviousness had upset him, because it suggested a disregard, and, even worse, an indifference to him, and to his present life.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Seneca Nation is calling on President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” arguing that the move disregards centuries of Indigenous history and the United States’ treaty obligations.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
“This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” the church leaders said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
“This is a new phenomenon that disregards the idea that transparency and disclosure are important,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
SSI provides very modest benefits because its asset limits and income disregards have not been updated in decades.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026
There’s a dirt road crossing it, but he disregards this and follows the butterflies, red and white and black in color, with an hourglass pattern, something he’s never seen before.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Advocacy groups and experts say that by erecting turbines without a permit or any public consultation, SpaceXAI has disregarded existing legislation such as the Clean Air Act.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
“If contracts could be disregarded, market principles ignored, assets taken over and operators forced out at any time, who would have the confidence to invest and seek cooperation?” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Claimants' conduct of this litigation wholly disregarded these key disciplines.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The senior girls disregarded their comments and continued watching.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
But when when one looks at his record disregarding those two factors, he measures up very well against several HOF pitchers during his long time in the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 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
Responding, Sir Keir accused Farage of disregarding pleas from Nowak's family that his death should not be used to stoke division in society.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Charles Rivkin, the chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Association, called on ByteDance to "immediately cease its infringing activity," accusing it of disregarding copyright law that protects creators and underpins millions of jobs.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Given the responsibilities for other lives he’d taken on, disregarding symptoms of hepatitis for a month seemed almost a selfish act to me.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
