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neglect Definition

ne·glect (ni glekt′)

transitive verb

  1. to ignore or disregard to neglect the advice of others
  2. to fail to care for or attend to sufficiently or properly; slight to neglect one's family
  3. to fail to carry out (an expected or required action) through carelessness or by intention; leave undone

Etymology: < L neglectus, pp. of negligere, neglegere, not to heed, be regardless of < neg- (see negation) + legere, to gather (see logic)

noun

  1. the action of neglecting
  2. lack of sufficient or proper care; negligence; disregard
  3. the state of being neglected

neglect Related Forms
ne·glect′er noun or ne·glec′·tor
neglect Synonyms

neglect

n.

  1. The act of showing indifference to a person

    slight, disregard, thoughtlessness, disrespect, carelessness, scorn, oversight, inadvertence, heedlessness, inattention, unconcern, inconsideration, disdain, coolness; see also indifference 1.

  2. The act of neglecting duties or charges

    negligence, dereliction, neglectfulness; see carelessness.

  3. The result of neglecting

    chaos, default, lapse; see delay 1, failure 1.

neglect Synonyms

neglect

v.

  1. To treat with indifference

    overlook, slight, disregard, ignore, forget, disdain, scorn, rebuff, affront, dismiss, depreciate, spurn, underestimate, undervalue, shake off, make light of, laugh off, keep one's distance, pass over, pass up, pass by, have nothing to do with, let alone, keep aloof, keep aloof from, let go, not care for, pay no attention to, leave alone, take no notice of, be inattentive to, take for granted, not give a hoot, not give a darn, not give a damn, pay no heed, pay no mind, turn one's back on, set at nought, contemn, let well enough alone, leave well enough alone, let it ride*, keep at arm's length*, leave out in the cold*, give the cold shoulder*; see also disregard.

    Antonyms consider*, appreciate, value.

  2. To fail to attend to responsibilities

    omit, leave undone, forget, pass over, defer, procrastinate, let slide, let pass, let slip, miss, skip, gloss over, let things go, ignore, be remiss, be negligent, be derelict, trifle, slur, skimp, shirk, slack, postpone, lose sight of, look the other way, dismiss from the mind, not trouble oneself with, not take care of, be slack, evade, pretermit, be careless, be irresponsible, let the grass grow under one's feet*, lie down on the job*.

    Antonyms take care of, attend to, tend*.

neglect implies a failure to carry out some expected or required action, either through carelessness or by intention I neglected to set the alarm; omit, in this connection, implies a neglecting through oversight, absorption, etc. I omitted to give him directions to the house; overlook suggests a failure to see or to take action, either inadvertently or indulgently I'll overlook your error this time; disregard implies inattention or neglect, usually intentional to disregard someone's wishes; ignore suggests a deliberate disregarding, sometimes through stubborn refusal to face the facts but you ignore the necessity for action; slight implies a disregarding or neglecting in an indifferent or disdainful way a critic who seems to slight younger writers; forget, in this connection, implies an intentional disregarding or omitting let's forget our differences

neglect Law Definition

n

The action or status of failing to care for or to maintain something.
neglect Usage Examples

Object

  • precaution: Harsh penalties await any organization with an established duty of care that neglects these precautions.
  • aspect: More often than not it's also the most frequently neglected aspect of open-source projects.

Converse of object

  • suffer: There are certain neighborhoods where whole communities have suffered neglect on a massive scale.
  • perceive: The second issue for Labor that electoral reform helps is the perceived neglect of our core voters.
  • remedy: To remedy the neglect of small settlements which is such a characteristic of segregation research in the world outside Northern Ireland.

Adjective modifier

  • unilateral: A case of unilateral neglect in Huntington's Disease.
  • wilful: We did not omit the work of Birmingham on grounds of spite or wilful neglect.
  • benign: Section 1.4 The Technological Long Term Unlike the traditional archive, digital material cannot be the subject of benign neglect.
  • willful: Streets of fear are being created by a combination of destructive policies and willful neglect.
  • deliberate: MS is after all not deliberate neglect or abuse of the children.
  • spatial: Factors of interest Unilateral spatial neglect is a commonly occurring disorder following stroke.

Modifying Another Word

  • unjustly: It boosts Verlaine's unjustly neglected status as a pop craftsman and offers up tantalizing glimpses of his mad genius.
  • sadly: It was a solitary house, standing in a sadly neglected garden: a pretty even square of some two acres.
  • shamefully: Why can't all operas be like Giordano's shamefully neglected barnstormer?
  • sorely: I will concentrate on an area that has been sorely neglected over the years.
  • somewhat: Public Health informatics seems to be a somewhat neglected discipline on the web.

Infinitive complement

  • mention: They even neglected to mention their own " Sister Site " .
  • inform: Meanwhile Susie is worried about her future, and Joan neglects to inform Doreen of her imminent release.
  • tell: However, he has neglected to tell everyone his address or leave a valid contact number.

Preposition: of

  • duty: The Mayor, Charles Pinney, was aquitted at his trial for neglect of duty.
neglect Quotes

In a world where it is so easy to neglect, deny, pervert and suppress the truth, the scientist may find his discipline severe. For him, truth is so seldom the sudden lightthat showsneworderand beauty; more often, truth is the uncharted rock that sinks his ship in the dark.

—Cornforth, SirJohnWarcup

A potent quack, long versed in human ills, Who first insults the victim whom he kills; Whose murd'rous hand a drowsy bench protect, And whose most tender mercy is neglect.

—Crabbe, George

I throw myself down in my Chamber, and I call in, and invite God, and his Angels thither, and when they are there, I neglect God and his Angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door.

—Donne,John

It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life†to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise; to be disgraced by miscarriage or punished for neglect† Among these unhappy mortals isthe writer of dictionaries† Every other author mayaspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson

Still to be neat, still to be drest, As you were going to a feast; Still to be powdered, still perfumed, Lady, it is to be presumed, Though art's hid causes are not found, All is not sweet, all is not sound. Give me a look, give me a face, That makes simplicity a grace; Robes loosely flowing, hair as free: Such sweet neglect more taketh me, Than all the adulteries of art; They strike mine eyes, but not my heart.

—Jonson, Ben