neglect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
neglects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
neglected,
past participle, past
-
neglecting
present participle
-
to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight.
The public neglected his genius for many years.
- Synonyms:
- ignore
-
to be remiss in the care or treatment of.
to neglect one's family; to neglect one's appearance.
-
to omit, through indifference or carelessness.
to neglect to reply to an invitation.
-
to fail to carry out or perform (orders, duties, etc.).
to neglect the household chores.
-
to fail to take or use.
to neglect no precaution.
noun
-
an act or instance of neglecting; disregard; negligence.
The neglect of the property was shameful.
- Synonyms:
- heedlessness, inattention, default
-
the fact or state of being neglected.
a beauty marred by neglect.
- Synonyms:
- heedlessness, inattention, default
verb
-
to fail to give due care, attention, or time to
to neglect a child
-
to fail (to do something) through thoughtlessness or carelessness
he neglected to tell her
-
to ignore or disregard
she neglected his frantic signals
noun
-
lack of due care or attention; negligence
the child starved through neglect
-
the act or an instance of neglecting or the state of being neglected
Usage
What does neglect mean? Neglect means to fail to pay enough attention to someone or something or to not do enough to properly care for someone or something. In terms of things, neglect usually means that you haven’t maintained them properly. To neglect your car is to fail to make sure it gets the maintenance it needs to keep running properly. To neglect your health is to fail to do anything to maintain it. To neglect your duties is to disregard them, often due to being preoccupied with other things. When it’s used in the context of people, neglect implies a lack of attention and care. When you neglect 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. However, the word neglect is often associated with even more serious situations. When the word is used in relation to the care of children, it means to fail to properly care for them in a way that’s equivalent to mistreatment or abuse. This is sometimes called negligence (which is a synonym of neglect and is based on the same root). As a verb, neglect can also mean to fail to do something, such as through indifference, thoughtlessness, or carelessness. This sense of the verb is typically followed by another verb (in its infinitive form), as in I neglected to check a single box on the form and now I have to start over. Neglect is also commonly used as a noun meaning the act or an instance of neglecting, as in These children are victims of neglect, or the state of being neglected, as in The house was in a state of neglect. 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 neglect, these pets are being adopted into loving homes.
Synonym Usage
See slight. Neglect, dereliction, negligence, remissness imply carelessness, failure, or some important omission in the performance of one's duty, a task, etc. Neglect and negligence are occasionally interchangeable, but neglect commonly refers to an instance, negligence to the habit or trait, of failing to attend to or perform what is expected or required: gross neglect of duty; negligence in handling traffic problems. Dereliction implies culpable or reprehensible neglect or failure in the performance of duty: dereliction in a position of responsibility. Remissness implies the omission or the careless or indifferent performance of a duty: remissness in filing a report on the accident.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
neglectednessnoun
-
neglecternoun
-
neglectornoun
-
overneglectverb (used with object)
-
preneglectverb (used with object)
-
quasi-neglectedadjective
-
self-neglectadjective
-
self-neglectingadjective
-
unneglectedadjective
-
neglectedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
neglectsimple
-
neglectssimple
-
have neglectedperfect
-
has neglectedperfect
-
am neglectingprogressive
-
are neglectingprogressive
-
is neglectingprogressive
-
have been neglectingperfect progressive
-
has been neglectingperfect progressive
Past
-
neglectedsimple
-
had neglectedperfect
-
was neglectingprogressive
-
were neglectingprogressive
-
had been neglectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of neglect
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin neglēctus, variant of neclēctus (past participle of neglegere, neclegere “to disregard, ignore, slight”), equivalent to nec “not” + leg-, base of legere “to pick up” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Neglect is worse than ignoring something. It's ignoring it, failing to care for it, and probably harming it in the process. The word neglect comes from the Latin verb neglegere, which means "disregarded." You can neglect to do your chores, meaning fail to do them, but this word is usually reserved for cases when you willingly refuse to care for something appropriately. Child neglect is what parents get charged with when they fail to provide for their child's basic needs. If you go on vacation and neglect your plants, they may wither and die due to your lack of attention.
Vocabulary lists containing neglect
List 7
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Excerpt from "The Declaration of Independence"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Asked about the Post's reporting, the Kennedy Center declined to comment and referred AFP to a recent statement from spokesperson Roma Daravi blaming "decades of neglect and deferred maintenance by the previous leadership."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Now we have a drought, and you have to have water rationing. It’s something that is reflective of a bigger problem in the island: the neglect of the most important needs of the citizens.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Sixty years of enforcement history predicts what those documents will show: neglect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Multiple press reports and Lopez-Cornejo’s mother maintain that Lopez-Cornejo, a father of a 12-year-old girl, who suffered from chronic illness, died from medical neglect after he was refused treatment.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
I can eat haphazardly now, snack on junk food and takeouts without worrying about balanced meals, go to bed when I like, let my dirty laundry rot, neglect the dishes.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Mr. Jensen all too often neglects his big man, but he writes with admirable acuity of the little men and women affected by it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
To opponents of the forthcoming regulation, including many still inside the Social Security Administration, Warshawsky and Vought’s conception of the modern economy neglects the fact that workers like Tincher grew up in a different world.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
The recent sharp selloff in Zions Bancorp’s stock already more than captures any credit risk associated with loan losses, but it neglects the overall quality of the bank’s financials, an analyst said Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
For example, it neglects to show the good side of social media alongside its dangers, he says, and some details – including the secret emoji codes one character claims children use – ring false.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025
If one neglects gravitational effects, as Einstein and Poincare did in 1905, one has what is called the special theory of relativity.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
Yet as a reference work on a neglected era of American history, “Contested Continent” is unsurpassed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The minister said dementia had been "neglected for far too long".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Snakebite is considered one of the world's most neglected tropical diseases.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
She’d lean into her experience as a vet tech to take care of the neglected duo and quickly “fell in love.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Martha hadn’t forgotten how we neglected her when she finally came down with the measles.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
No one is worth taking on debt or neglecting long-term financial goals for.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Europeans, who have warned the rest of the world for decades about climate change while neglecting to install air-conditioning in much of the Continent, baked all summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
“What if you considered this other perspective?” most of them ask, neglecting to realize that most people won’t be inclined to think harder unless they’re presented with more than a suggestion.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
On Tuesday, Israel's state comptroller released a scathing report accusing successive governments of neglecting domestic weapons production and failing to maintain critical raw material reserves.
From Barron's ● May 16, 2026
Each of these partial theories describes and predicts a certain limited class of observations, neglecting the effects of other quantities, or representing them by simple sets of numbers.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
