What is the meaning of neglect?

noun

  • Lack of attention and due care.
  • The state of something that has been unused and neglected.
    • usage: "the house was in a terrible state of neglect"
  • Willful lack of care and attention.
  • The trait of neglecting responsibilities and lacking concern.
  • Failure to act with the prudence that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances.

verb

  • Leave undone or leave out.
    • usage: "How could I miss that typo"; "The workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of ten"
  • Fail to do something; leave something undone.
    • usage: "She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib"; "The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account"
  • Fail to attend to.
    • usage: "he neglects his children"
  • Give little or no attention to.
    • usage: "Disregard the errors"
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APAWordNet. (2010). Neglect. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/neglect/definitions/1246922
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "Neglect" http://smartdefine.org/neglect/definitions/1246922 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, Neglect, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/neglect/definitions/1246922>.
MLAWordNet. "Neglect" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/neglect/definitions/1246922>
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