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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Purple Hibiscus
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Boy Who Invented TV
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
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
I also looked up how old Thomas Mann had been when he wrote the book and saw that he had been past twenty, which made him old enough for me to disregard, at least partially.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
Conmebol, the South American confederation, said on Thursday it would not support "any action or procedure that disregards" Fifa's mechanisms before the presidential election.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 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
SSI provides very modest benefits because its asset limits and income disregards have not been updated in decades.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 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
However, as stories so often show, what elders say youth disregards.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
But the country’s leaders have never been disregarded.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 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
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
Lillian Meecham disregarded her daughter’s objection and in a clear, lyrical voice filled with the soft music of southern speech, prayed to the Virgin, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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
Summer Yue, an AI safety researcher at Meta, went viral on X when she posted screenshots showing OpenClaw disregarding her instructions and deleting the contents of her inbox.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Other people were darting in and out of the traffic, disregarding the deafening horns.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
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.
