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
- 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.
He called the loans potentially criminal and wrote, “at a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness.”
From Salon
In recent weeks, Uttar Pradesh officials have filed cases against poll workers for alleged SIR negligence, and there have been reports of threats of jail or job loss for refusal in other states.
From BBC
Palmer’s family in July 2025 sued the market operator, an event group and a security company, alleging negligence.
Dr Sawant said: "Those found responsible will face most stringent action under the law – any negligence will be dealt with firmly."
From BBC
You can do this on the grounds of misconduct, negligence or incapacity, and it sounds as if at least two of those reasons apply to your situation.
From MarketWatch
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.
