negligence
Americannoun
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the quality, fact, or result of being negligent; neglect.
negligence in discharging one's responsibilities.
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an instance of being negligent.
a downfall brought about by many negligences.
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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
noun
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the state or quality of being negligent
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a negligent act
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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
Related Words
See neglect.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of negligence
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, variant of necligence, from Latin necligentia; see negligent, -ence
Explanation
When you are careless or reckless and you don’t take care of a person, object or situation like you ought to, you are practicing negligence. "Her negligence of the house resulted in its being condemned by the city." The noun negligence comes from a Latin word that means “carelessness.” Negligence can come in many forms: negligence of one's children can lead to foster care, negligence while driving can cause fatal accidents, negligence of work can lead to the loss of a job, and negligence of nutrition can cause health problems. There is culpability in negligence. Negligence is when one neglects to do things that should be done, and there are usually consequences.
Vocabulary lists containing negligence
The Things They Carried
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Fever 1793
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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.
Police charged the train driver, who was also injured, and a railway-crossing guard on Sunday with negligence causing injury and death, said Urumporn Koondejsumrit, chief of the local police station where the crash occurred.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Authorities have also said they are investigating the incident, and have hinted at "possible negligence by tourism operators or individuals".
From BBC • May 11, 2026
The state legislature is conducting an investigation into the camp, and the Texas Rangers opened a criminal probe into complaints of negligence by camp leaders on the night of the flood.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
“He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months,” Stewart told the outlet.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
He was now determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence.
From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
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.
