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:
"You can not continue to engage with someone who is so blatant in her disregard and disdain for a large section of this community," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
In September 2021, a federal judge ordered GEO Group to discontinue use of HDQ Neutral at the Adelanto facility, writing that it had been used “with a callous disregard for the safety of Adelanto’s detainees.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
But Cruise’s story is also an ironic reflection of “Digger”: an undeniably ambitious project whose assuredness belies a stubborn disregard for everyone but itself.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
The court described the tragedy as caused by "individuals driven by greed, with utter disregard for human life".
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
He may have interpreted it as evidence of her stubbornness, her willfulness, her utter disregard of all his warnings, and so made a threat which would put a stop to this crazy talk about freedom.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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
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
He also spoke of the failures of his and his wider team, specifically referencing a doctor who disregarded blood test results that suggested a baby had been poisoned with insulin in August 2015.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The report spends its 28 pages documenting instances in which the task force regarded, not disregarded, evidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I am too familiar with the feeling of working and taking on low-wage work while feeling invisible because my voice is disregarded just because of our broken immigration system,” McManus said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
“A lot of our history lies beneath the waves. If we do not retrieve our history ourselves, it will be ‘discovered’ and downplayed or be disregarded and continue to dissolve into nothing.”
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
On Friday, Kabila accused President Félix Tshisekedi's government of disregarding proposals he had put forward last year, including some aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DR Congo.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
“Dirty Harry” was condemned as racist and even fascist in its day; Dirty Marky paints a crowd-pleasing picture of how disregarding the rulebook could help topple the Ku Klux Klan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
This was so very aggravating—the more especially as I found myself making no way against his surly obtuseness—that I said, disregarding Herbert’s efforts to check me,—
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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