disregard
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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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:
They claim that his alleged speeding does not meet the legal standard for implied malice, meaning to act with a conscious disregard for human life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
But it does challenge one of the most persistent messages behind that culture: that men who embrace domination and disregard for women can continue winning without consequences.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
This "indicates a lack of caution and disregard for the safety of the patrons," Police General Kittiratt Phanphet said on Monday.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The trade union Verdi said the proposal to scrap the early retirement scheme showed "a total disregard for the lifetime achievements of the people concerned".
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
This blatant disregard of the law outraged the packinghouse owners; future cases were removed to the court of another community where the law was better upheld.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Hims & Hers said the suit disregards evidence it provided the FTC during the investigation and ignores industry standards in telehealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Greater Manchester Police said the crash on Manchester's Kingsway was "one of the worst disregards of speeding" officers had seen.
From BBC ● May 29, 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
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
Manuel’s deputy sent Churnside at least two formal warning letters, and Manuel himself was notified that Churnside disregarded trainers’ medical advice, the firm said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
However, whilst Vrticka agrees that attachment styles shouldn't be seen as either good or bad, he stresses they "come with certain risks and difficulties", which he says shouldn't be disregarded.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Promoters of Graham Platner’s doomed Senate campaign in Maine disregarded that age-old warning, and now they are paying the price.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026
Technical progress can cease and the most palpable facts can be denied or disregarded.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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
Canadians tend to think they are above such smallness, but here we are getting in our own way, forgetting those we lost and disregarding how the crash could have happened in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 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
Although I thought Gwentshe was wrong for disregarding the executive, he was doing a good job and was so firmly entrenched that he could not easily be dislodged.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
