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
-
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:
Actual malice is high bar to meet, as it requires proof that the defendant knew the defamatory statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for whether it was true or not.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
“The Department did not disregard these complaints,” Sibal-von Debschitz wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
A few minutes later the Russian was defaulted, as he had to be, under rules that bar a player from "hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly, or with negligent disregard of the consequences."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 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
Valentina detested the ferocious disregard for humanity of the Great Terror.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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
As Mr. McGurn observes, it’s ironic that Pope Leo, previously an Augustinian friar, disregards the seminal work on just-war philosophy by his order’s namesake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
“This plan disregards the deeply held values of many Catalina residents and visitors,” Hahn said in a Jan. 26 letter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 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
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
Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 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
She said that an expert for the prosecution conceded that point and that the data from Grossman’s Mercedes had anomalies and should be disregarded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Or the quiet way in which he disregarded suggestions without appearing to rebel.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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
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
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
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
He just stood with his back to me and his arms crossed, conspicuously disregarding me.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
