neglect 1 of 2

1
as in disrepair
the state of being unattended to or not cared for for years the barn sat in neglect until one day it finally fell down

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action your ongoing neglect of your health is going to land you in the hospital someday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

neglect

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word neglect distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of neglect are disregard, forget, ignore, overlook, and slight. While all these words mean "to pass over without giving due attention," neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

habitually neglected his studies

When could disregard be used to replace neglect?

In some situations, the words disregard and neglect are roughly equivalent. However, disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

disregarded the wishes of his family

When would forget be a good substitute for neglect?

While the synonyms forget and neglect are close in meaning, forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

forget what others say

When is ignore a more appropriate choice than neglect?

The words ignore and neglect are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

ignored the snide remark

When is it sensible to use overlook instead of neglect?

The synonyms overlook and neglect are sometimes interchangeable, but overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care.

in my rush I overlooked a key example

In what contexts can slight take the place of neglect?

The meanings of slight and neglect largely overlap; however, slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting.

slighted several major authors in her survey

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of neglect
Noun
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office found Petrocelli guilty of neglect of duty, among other issues. Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 His bond was set to $3,500 altogether — $1,000 for the reckless driving charge and $2,500 for the child neglect charge — and he was released the following day. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explained the decision by saying Gavi had neglected issues of vaccine safety, an accusation Gavi vigorously denies. Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 21 July 2025 Advertisement Advertisement The plaintiffs and others with SIJS, a pathway to legal residency given to youth who arrive in the U.S. under the age of 21 and have been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent, were granted a status known as deferred action under a Biden-era policy. Solcyré Burga, Time, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for neglect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neglect
Noun
  • Many of those amenities were damaged during the pandemic and the years that followed as the building slid into disrepair and units were taken over by squatters and open drug sales.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
  • But many of those Gilded Age mansions had sunk into disrepair by the 1970s and were lost to fire, neglect or demolition.
    JC Reindl, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • The lawsuit seeks damages and brings claims of battery, negligence and false imprisonment.
    Nathan Pilling July 19, Kansas City Star, 19 July 2025
  • Mitchell said that in civil cases where civil negligence is raised, a lawyer would have to show that someone's carelessness caused harm to another person, such as running a red light and hitting someone.
    Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 18 July 2025
Verb
  • Donald Trump promised to go after the worst of the worst, but his administration's heavy-handed tactics in many cases ignore people's constitutional rights and the rule of law.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Having said that, beachgoers have already been ignoring signs and fencing to get to the beach, especially on weekends.
    Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • People sometimes forget that being a legendary vocalist means more than just hitting the right notes.
    Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 23 July 2025
  • And a lot of people forget that in the beginning, The Osbournes was just an MTV experiment.
    Matthew Schnipper, Vulture, 22 July 2025
Verb
  • The agency failed to answer thousands of calls from flood survivors after allowing contracts for call-center workers to lapse one day after the disaster, according to The New York Times.
    Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
  • Last July, when the blade failed, foam fiberglass and other debris settled to the ocean floor, entered the water table and littered Nantucket beaches for months.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • And in fact, failure in the relays has been an ongoing sore subject for Team USA.
    Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
  • Critics of the strikes jumped at the opportunity to call the operation a failure, but the DIA’s product should ...
    NR Editors, National Review, 24 July 2025
Verb
  • We’re overrun by leaders who are psychopaths or sociopaths (people who disregard social norms and the rights of others).
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 18 July 2025
  • Even now, six months into President Trump’s second term, there’s a tendency to disregard his sometimes fiery rhetoric as mere big talk.
    Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 4 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Neglect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neglect. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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