neglectful

[ni-glekt-fuhl]

adjective

1. characterized by neglect; disregardful; careless; negligent (often followed byof ).

   neglectful of one's health.

   Synonyms: thoughtless, heedless, inattentive, remiss
   Antonyms: thoughtful, careful

neglectful

/ nɪˈɡlɛktfʊl /

adjective

1. not giving due care and attention (to); careless; heedless

Other Word Forms

• neglectfully adverb
• neglectfulness noun
• overneglectful adjective
• overneglectfully adverb
• overneglectfulness noun
• preneglectful adjective
• self-neglectful adjective
• unneglectful adjective
• unneglectfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of neglectful¹

First recorded in 1615–25; neglect + -ful

Example Sentences

The management company acted in an inappropriate and/or neglectful manner.

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Maybe it’s because the abusive or neglectful patterns exemplified by their original caregivers or family dynamic conditioned them to have difficulty knowing what love actually looks, sounds, feels like.

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It will be up to courts to determine whether state officials were actually neglectful.

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A mental health trust that discharged a patient despite a "real and immediate risk to her life" was neglectful in its conduct, a coroner has said.

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The hearing at Liverpool Town Hall also heard questions raised about whether the parents of killer Axel Rudakubana had been neglectful in allowing him to buy knives prior to the killings, on 29 July 2024.

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When To Use

What does neglectful mean?

Neglectful is used to describe people who have neglected someone or something, meaning they’ve failed to pay enough attention or have not done enough to provide proper care.Neglectful is often followed by the word of and the person or thing being neglected, as in I’m afraid I’ve been neglectful of my duties. Neglectful can also be used to describe such a person’s actions, as in Their parenting is neglectful at best. Describing someone as neglectful of objects or things usually means that they haven’t maintained such things properly. To be neglectful of your car is to fail to make sure it gets the maintenance it needs to keep running properly. To be neglectful of your health is to fail to do anything to maintain it. To be neglectful of your duties is to disregard them, often due to being preoccupied with other things.When it’s used in the context of people, neglectful implies a lack of attention and care. When you’re neglectful of 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. When the word is used in relation to the care of children, it describes someone who has failed to properly care for them in a way that’s equivalent to mistreatment or abuse. The word negligent can be a synonym and is based on the same root.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 neglectful treatment, these pets are being adopted into loving homes.