Neglect

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -É›kt

Origin

From Latin neglēctus, perfect passive participle of neglegō ("make light of, disregard, not to pick up"), a variant of neclegō, itself from nec ("not") + legō ("pick up, select"). Recorded since 1529, as noun since 1588.

Full definition of neglect

Verb

1. (transitive) To fail to care for or attend to something.
   to neglect duty or business;  to neglect to pay debts
• William Shakespeare (1564-1616)I hope
  My absence doth neglect no great designs.
• John Milton (1608-1674)This, my long suffering and my day of grace,
  Those who neglect and scorn shall never taste.
2. (transitive) To omit to notice; to forbear to treat with attention or respect; to slight.
   to neglect strangers
3. (transitive) To fail to do or carry out something due to oversight or carelessness.
• 2014-06-14, It's a gas, One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains....But out of sight is out of mind. And that, together with the inherent yuckiness of the subject, means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair.

Derived terms

• neglectful
• neglectfully
• neglectfulness

Related terms

• negligee
• negligence

Noun

1. The act of neglecting.
2. The state of being neglected.
3. Habitual lack of care.

Synonyms

• carelessness
• negligence