neglect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight.
The public neglected his genius for many years.
- Synonyms:
- ignore
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to be remiss in the care or treatment of.
to neglect one's family; to neglect one's appearance.
-
to omit, through indifference or carelessness.
to neglect to reply to an invitation.
-
to fail to carry out or perform (orders, duties, etc.).
to neglect the household chores.
-
to fail to take or use.
to neglect no precaution.
noun
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an act or instance of neglecting; disregard; negligence.
The neglect of the property was shameful.
- Synonyms:
- heedlessness, inattention, default
-
the fact or state of being neglected.
a beauty marred by neglect.
- Synonyms:
- heedlessness, inattention, default
verb
-
to fail to give due care, attention, or time to
to neglect a child
-
to fail (to do something) through thoughtlessness or carelessness
he neglected to tell her
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to ignore or disregard
she neglected his frantic signals
noun
-
lack of due care or attention; negligence
the child starved through neglect
-
the act or an instance of neglecting or the state of being neglected
Usage
What does neglect mean? Neglect means to fail to pay enough attention to someone or something or to not do enough to properly care for someone or something. In terms of things, neglect usually means that you haven’t maintained them properly. To neglect your car is to fail to make sure it gets the maintenance it needs to keep running properly. To neglect your health is to fail to do anything to maintain it. To neglect your duties is to disregard them, often due to being preoccupied with other things. When it’s used in the context of people, neglect implies a lack of attention and care. When you neglect a friend or romantic partner, it means you don’t spend enough time with them or you fail to consider or care about their emotional needs. However, the word neglect is often associated with even more serious situations. When the word is used in relation to the care of children, it means to fail to properly care for them in a way that’s equivalent to mistreatment or abuse. This is sometimes called negligence (which is a synonym of neglect and is based on the same root). As a verb, neglect can also mean to fail to do something, such as through indifference, thoughtlessness, or carelessness. This sense of the verb is typically followed by another verb (in its infinitive form), as in I neglected to check a single box on the form and now I have to start over. Neglect is also commonly used as a noun meaning the act or an instance of neglecting, as in These children are victims of neglect, or the state of being neglected, as in The house was in a state of neglect. The adjective neglectful can be used to describe a person who neglects or their actions. The word neglected can also be used as an adjective, as in neglected children. Example: After years of neglect, these pets are being adopted into loving homes.
Synonym Usage
See slight. Neglect, dereliction, negligence, remissness imply carelessness, failure, or some important omission in the performance of one's duty, a task, etc. Neglect and negligence are occasionally interchangeable, but neglect commonly refers to an instance, negligence to the habit or trait, of failing to attend to or perform what is expected or required: gross neglect of duty; negligence in handling traffic problems. Dereliction implies culpable or reprehensible neglect or failure in the performance of duty: dereliction in a position of responsibility. Remissness implies the omission or the careless or indifferent performance of a duty: remissness in filing a report on the accident.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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neglectednessnoun
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neglecternoun
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neglectornoun
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overneglectverb (used with object)
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preneglectverb (used with object)
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quasi-neglectedadjective
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self-neglectadjective
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self-neglectingadjective
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unneglectedadjective
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neglectedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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neglectsimple
-
neglectssimple
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have neglectedperfect
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has neglectedperfect
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am neglectingprogressive
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are neglectingprogressive
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is neglectingprogressive
-
have been neglectingperfect progressive
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has been neglectingperfect progressive
Past
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neglectedsimple
-
had neglectedperfect
-
was neglectingprogressive
-
were neglectingprogressive
-
had been neglectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of neglect
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin neglēctus, variant of neclēctus (past participle of neglegere, neclegere “to disregard, ignore, slight”), equivalent to nec “not” + leg-, base of legere “to pick up” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Neglect is worse than ignoring something. It's ignoring it, failing to care for it, and probably harming it in the process. The word neglect comes from the Latin verb neglegere, which means "disregarded." You can neglect to do your chores, meaning fail to do them, but this word is usually reserved for cases when you willingly refuse to care for something appropriately. Child neglect is what parents get charged with when they fail to provide for their child's basic needs. If you go on vacation and neglect your plants, they may wither and die due to your lack of attention.
Vocabulary lists containing neglect
List 7
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Excerpt from "The Declaration of Independence"
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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:
The Saint Simeon monastery itself was subjected to "looting, illegal excavation, military use and neglect", according to site director Abdel Jalil Arabi.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It's not neglect... they're seeing different cultures, hearing different languages, they're eating different foods."
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Some business owners say crime and neglect are driving away customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
AUTOR: I agree with Martha about the underappreciated value of human creativity, but I think too much emphasis on these examples leads us to neglect the real risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Academic writers often neglect to do this and trowel out massive slabs of visually monotonous text.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Crowther shares a few scraps of despairing, Plathian verse, but almost entirely neglects her unfinished posthumous memoir, published in 1974 as “My Story.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
Mr. Jensen all too often neglects his big man, but he writes with admirable acuity of the little men and women affected by it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
To opponents of the forthcoming regulation, including many still inside the Social Security Administration, Warshawsky and Vought’s conception of the modern economy neglects the fact that workers like Tincher grew up in a different world.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
The recent sharp selloff in Zions Bancorp’s stock already more than captures any credit risk associated with loan losses, but it neglects the overall quality of the bank’s financials, an analyst said Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
If one neglects gravitational effects, as Einstein and Poincare did in 1905, one has what is called the special theory of relativity.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
In his speech, Burnham will say when he is in Downing Street, the government will be "unashamedly Labour in our priorities" and have the "courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected".
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
They replaced some of the “chintzy” decor with a more monochrome color scheme, put up Stewart’s extensive collection of photographs and restored the neglected 5.5-acre garden, keeping to Lord Snowdon’s original plans, Walsh said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
As for Fama, I realized I had neglected, dang, to ask him about SpaceX.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
He and others say the bigger problem is illegal breeding, leading to underfed and neglected animals that end up in shelters or dead on the streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
The Arcanum History section felt tucked into the back, neglected and unused.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
One in three even admitted to accidentally breaking the law by neglecting important responsibilities, like missing jury duty.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
“What if you considered this other perspective?” most of them ask, neglecting to realize that most people won’t be inclined to think harder unless they’re presented with more than a suggestion.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
"The economy has been destroyed," he said, accusing the ousted government of neglecting ordinary citizens.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Ukrainian officials, though, say Russia is dangerously neglecting the site and say a repeat of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is a real threat.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
“So you think I’m neglecting you and Macy?”
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
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.
