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

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