negligence
[ neg-li-juh ns ]
/ ˈnɛg lɪ dʒəns /
noun
the quality, fact, or result of being negligent; neglect: negligence in discharging one's responsibilities.
an instance of being negligent: a downfall brought about by many negligences.
Law. the failure to exercise that degree of care that, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of other persons or those interests of other persons that may be injuriously affected by the want of such care.
adjective
Law. pertaining to or involving a civil action for compensation for damages filed by a person who claims to have suffered an injury or loss in an accident caused by another's negligence: a negligence suit; a large negligence award.
RELATED CONTENT
Malpractice, Malarkey, And Other Words From The Second Democratic DebateHere's our roundup of top terms that created buzz on Dictionary.com during the second Democratic debate. For the first five words, we can thank the 10 candidates from the first night of the debate on July 30, and for the second five, the remaining 10 debating on July 31.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
negatron, negev, neglect, neglectful, negligee, negligence, negligent, negligible, negotiable, negotiable instrument, negotiant
Origin of negligence
Related forms
non·neg·li·gence, nouno·ver·neg·li·gence, nounpre·neg·li·gence, nounsu·per·neg·li·gence, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for negligence
British Dictionary definitions for negligence
negligence
/ (ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəns) /
noun
the state or quality of being negligent
a negligent act
law a civil wrong whereby a person or party is in breach of a legal duty of care to another which results in loss or injury to the claimant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012