Synonyms

negligence

American

[neg-li-juhns] / 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.

negligence British

/ 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

Related Words

See neglect.

Other Word Forms

nonnegligence noun
overnegligence noun
prenegligence noun
supernegligence noun

Etymology

Origin of negligence

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, variant of necligence, from Latin necligentia; negligent, -ence

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.

The Nevada County Sheriff's Office said on Friday that authorities are investigating whether there could be criminal negligence relating to the avalanche, CBS reported.

From BBC

Two men, aged 33 and 42, who were earlier arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, have since been released on conditional bail.

From BBC

Graduates were “encouraged to work for ambulance-chaser negligence firms,” he says, but Grubman took a different path, charming his way into a law firm after several others would not hire him.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Supreme Court ruling is likely to lead to significantly higher damages being awarded to children injured by medical negligence.

From BBC

The family were also unable to proceed with a clinical negligence case against Andrew's doctors because legal rules can bar the recovery of damages closely connected to a serious criminal act.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023