Word Study
neglect
CIDE DICTIONARY
neglect, v. t. [L. neglectus, p. p. of neglegere (negligere) to disregard, neglect, the literal sense prob. being, not to pick up; nec not, nor (fr. ne not + -que, a particle akin to Goth. -h, -uh, and prob. to E. who; cf. Goth. nih nor) + L. legere to pick up, gather. See No, adv. , Legend, Who.].
- Not to attend to with due care or attention; to forbear one's duty in regard to; to allow to pass unimproved, unheeded, undone, etc.; to omit; to disregard; to slight; as, to neglect duty or business; to neglect to pay debts. [1913 Webster]"I hope
My absence doth neglect no great designs." [1913 Webster]"This, my long suffering and my day of grace,
Those who neglect and scorn shall never taste." [1913 Webster] - To omit to notice; to forbear to treat with attention or respect; to slight; as, to neglect strangers. [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- To slight; overlook; disregard; disesteem; contemn. See Slight.
- Omission of proper attention; avoidance or disregard of duty, from heedlessness, indifference, or willfulness; failure to do, use, or heed anything; culpable disregard; as, neglect of business, of health, of economy. [1913 Webster]"To tell thee sadly, shepherd, without blame,
Or our neglect, we lost her as we came." [1913 Webster] - Omission of attention or civilities; slight; as, neglect of strangers. [1913 Webster]
- Habitual carelessness; negligence. [1913 Webster]"Age breeds neglect in all." [1913 Webster]
- The state of being disregarded, slighted, or neglected. [1913 Webster]"Rescue my poor remains from vile neglect." [1913 Webster]
Syn. -- Negligence; inattention; disregard; disesteem; remissness; indifference. See Negligence.
OXFORD DICTIONARY
neglect, v. & n.
--v.tr.
1 fail to care for or to do; be remiss about (neglected their duty; neglected his children).
2 (foll. by verbal noun, or to + infin.) fail; overlook or forget the need to (neglected to inform them; neglected telling them).
3 not pay attention to; disregard (neglected the obvious warning).
--n.
1 lack of caring; negligence (the house suffered from neglect).
2 a the act of neglecting. b the state of being neglected (the house fell into neglect).
3 (usu. foll. by of) disregard.
--v.tr.
1 fail to care for or to do; be remiss about (neglected their duty; neglected his children).
2 (foll. by verbal noun, or to + infin.) fail; overlook or forget the need to (neglected to inform them; neglected telling them).
3 not pay attention to; disregard (neglected the obvious warning).
--n.
1 lack of caring; negligence (the house suffered from neglect).
2 a the act of neglecting. b the state of being neglected (the house fell into neglect).
3 (usu. foll. by of) disregard.
Derivative
neglectful adj. neglectfully adv. neglectfulness n.
Etymology
L neglegere neglect- f. neg- not + legere choose, pick up
THESAURUS
neglect
Sisyphean labor, abandon, bad policy, be caught napping, be neglectful, be negligent, blink at, brush off, carelessness, cold-shoulder, contemn, cut, cut dead, default, delinquency, dereliction, disconformity, discount, disdain, dismiss, disregard, disrespect, elide, endless task, fail, failing, failure, forget, give the go-by, gloss over, heedlessness, ignore, impolicy, inaction, inactivity, inadvertence, inattention, indifference, inexecution, inexpedience, inexpediency, inobservance, lapse, laxity, laxness, leave undone, let go, let pass, let ride, let slide, let slip, look right through, loose ends, lose sight of, lose track of, make little of, maladministration, malfeasance, malpractice, misadministration, misconduct, misdirection, misfeasance, misgovernment, misguidance, mishandling, mismanagement, misrule, miss, neglectfulness, negligence, nod, nonaccomplishment, nonachievement, nonadherence, noncompliance, nonconformance, nonconformity, nonconsummation, nondischarging, nonexecution, nonfeasance, nonfulfillment, nonobservance, nonperformance, not care for, not get involved, not heed, not think, omission, omit, overleap, overlook, overpass, oversight, pass, pass by, pass over, pass up, passiveness, passivity, pooh-pooh, pretermit, rebuff, refuse to acknowledge, refuse to recognize, reject, remissness, rough edges, scant, scorn, shirk, shrug off, slackness, sleep, slight, slighting, slur over, spurn, take for granted, think little of, unconcern, unfulfillment, unobservance, work of Penelope, wrongdoingROGET THESAURUS
neglect
Incompleteness
VB be incomplete, fall short of, lack, neglect.Exclusion
VB be excluded from, exclude, bar, leave out, shut out, bar out, reject, repudiate, blackball, lay apart, put apart, set apart, lay aside, put aside, relegate, segregate, throw overboard, strike off, strike out, neglect, banish, separate, pass over, omit, garble, eliminate, weed, winnow, be secluded, live secluded, keep aloof, stand, hold oneself aloof, keep in the background, stand in the background, keep snug, shut oneself up, deny oneself, seclude oneself creep into a corner, rusticate, aller planter ses choux, retire, retire from the world, take the veil, abandon, sport one's oak, cut, cut dead, refuse to associate with, refuse to acknowledge, look cool upon, turn one's back upon, shut the door upon, repel, blackball, excommunicate, exclude, exile, expatriate, banish, outlaw, maroon, ostracize, proscribe, cut off from, send to Coventry, keep at arm's length, draw a cordon round, depopulate, dispeople, unpeople.Nonpreparation
N nonpreparation, non-preparation, absence of preparation, want of preparation, inculture, inconcoction, improvidence, immaturity, crudity, rawness, abortion, disqualification, nature, state of nature, virgin soil, unweeded garden, neglect, rough copy, germ, raw material, improvisation, unprepared (prepare), without preparation, incomplete, rudimental, embryonic, abortive, immature, unripe, kachcha, raw, green, crude, coarse, rough cast, rough hewn, in the rough, unhewn, unformed, unfashioned, unwrought, unlabored, unblown, uncooked, unboiled, unconcocted, unpolished, unhatched, unfledged, unnurtured, unlicked, untaught, uneducated, uncultivated, untrained, untutored, undrilled, unexercised, deckle- edged, precocious, premature, undigested, indigested, unmellowed, unseasoned, unleavened, unrehearsed, unscripted, extemporaneous, improvised, spontaneous, ad lib, ad libitem, fallow, unsown, untilled, natural, in a state of nature, undressed, in dishabille, en deshabille, unqualified, disqualified, unfitted, ill-digested, unbegun, unready, unarranged, unorganized, unfurnished, unprovided, unequipped, untrimmed, out of gear, out of order, dismantled, shiftless, improvident, unthrifty, thriftless, thoughtless, unguarded, happy-go- lucky, caught napping, unpremeditated, extempore.Disuse
VB not use, do without, dispense with, let alone, not touch, forbear, abstain, spare, waive, neglect, keep back, reserve, lay up, lay by, lay on the shelf, keep on the shelf, lay up in ordinary, lay up in a napkin, shelve, set aside, put aside, lay aside, disuse, leave off, have done with, supersede, discard, dismiss, give warning, throw aside, make away with, cast overboard, heave overboard, throw overboard, cast to the dogs, cast to the winds, dismantle, lie unemployed, remain unemployed.Inaction
N inaction, passiveness, abstinence from action, noninterference, nonintervention, Fabian policy, conservative policy, neglect, inactivity, rest, quiescence, want of occupation, inoccupation, idle hours, time hanging on one's hands, dolce far niente, sinecure, featherbed, featherbedding, cushy job, no-show job, soft snap, soft thing, not doing, not done, undone, passive, unoccupied, unemployed, out of employ, out of work, fallow, desaeuvre, re infecta, at a stand, les bras croisis, with folded arms, with the hands in the pockets, with the hands behind one's back, pour passer le temps, Int, so let it be!, stop!, hands off!, cunctando restituit rem, If it ain't broke don't fix it, stare decisis, let the decision stand.Noncompletion
N noncompletion, nonfulfillment, shortcoming, incompleteness, drawn battle, drawn game, work of Penelope, nonperformance, inexecution, neglect, not completed, incomplete, uncompleted, unfinished, unaccomplished, unperformed, unexecuted, sketchy, addle, in progress, in hand, ongoing, going on, proceeding, on one's hands, on the anvil, in the fire, in the oven, parboiled, half-baked, re infecta.VB not complete, leave unfinished, leave undone, drop, put down, neglect, let alone, let slip, lose sight of (forget), fall short of, do things by halves, parboil, scotch the snake not lull it, hang fire, be slow to, collapse, drop out.
Nonobservance
N nonobservance, evasion, inobservance, failure, omission, neglect, laches, laxity, informality, infringement, infraction, violation, transgression, piracy, retraction, retractation, repudiation, nullification, protest, forfeiture, lawlessness, disobedience, bad faith, violating, lawless, transgressive, elusive, evasive, unfulfilled &c (fulfill).VB fail, neglect, omit, elude, evade, give the go-by to, set aside, ignore, shut one's eyes to, close one's eyes to, infringe, transgress, violate, pirate, break, trample under foot, do violence to, drive a coach and six through, discard, protest, repudiate, fling to the winds, set at naught, nullify, declare null and void, cancel, retract, go back from, be off, forfeit, go from one's word, palter, stretch a point, strain a point.
Dereliction of Duty
N dereliction of duty, fault, sin, non-observance, non-performance, neglect, relaxation, infraction, violation, transgression, failure, evasion, dead letter.VB violate, break, break through, infringe, set aside, set at naught, encroach upon, trench upon, trample on, trample under foot, slight, neglect, evade, renounce, forswear, repudiate, wash one's hands of, escape, transgress, fail, call to account.
Disrespect
N disrespect, disesteem, disestimation, disparagement irreverence, slight, neglect, spretae injuria formae, superciliousness, vilipendency, vilification, contumely, affront, dishonor, insult, indignity, outrage, discourtesy, practical joking, scurrility, scoffing, sibilance, hissing, sibilation, irrision, derision, mockery, irony, sarcasm, hiss, hoot, boo, gibe, flout, jeer, scoff, gleek, taunt, sneer, quip, fling, wipe, slap in the face, disrespectful, aweless, irreverent, disparaging, insulting, supercilious, contemptuous, patronizing, rude, derisive, sarcastic, scurrile, scurrilous, contumelious, unrespected, unworshiped, unenvied, unsaluted, unregarded, disregarded, disrespectfully.Neglect
N neglect, carelessness, trifling, negligence, omission, oversight, laches, default, supineness, inattention, nonchalance, imprudence, recklessness, slovenliness improvidence, noncompletion, inexactness, paralipsis, paralepsis, paraleipsis (in rhetoric), trifler, waiter on Providence, Micawber, neglecting, unmindful, negligent, neglectful, heedless, careless, thoughtless, perfunctory, remiss, feebleness, inconsiderate, uncircumspect, incircumspect, off one's guard, unwary, unwatchful, unguarded, offhand, supine, inattentive, insouciant, imprudent, reckless, slovenly inexact, improvident, neglected, unheeded, uncared-for, unperceived, unseen, unobserved, unnoticed, unnoted, unmarked, unattended to, unthought of, unregarded, unremarked, unmissed, shunted, shelved, unexamined, unstudied, unsearched, unscanned, unweighed, unsifted, unexplored, abandoned, buried in a napkin, hid under a bushel, negligently, hand over head, anyhow, in an unguarded moment, per incuriam, Int, never mind, no matter, let it pass, out of sight, out of mind.VB be negligent, take no care of &c (take care of), neglect, let slip, let go, lay aside, set aside, cst aside, put aside, keep out of sight, put out of sight, lose sight of, overlook, disregard, pass over, pas by, let pass, blink, wink at, connive at, gloss over, take no note of, take no thought of, take no account of, take no notice of, pay no regard to, laisser aller, scamp, trifle, fribble, do by halves, cut, slight, play with, trifle with, slur, skim, skim the surface, effleurer, take a cursory view of, slur over, skip over, jump over, slip over, pretermit, miss, skip, jump, omit, give the go-by to, push aside, pigeonhole, shelve, sink, table, ignore, shut one's eyes to, refuse to hear, turn a deaf ear to, leave out of one's calculation, not attend to, not mind, not trouble oneself about, not trouble one's head about, not trouble oneself with, forget, be caught napping, leave a loose thread, let the grass grow under one's feet, render neglectful, put off one's guard, throw off one's guard, distract, divert.
Underestimation
VB underrate, underestimate, undervalue, underreckon, depreciate, disparage, not do justice to, misprize, disprize, ridicule, slight, neglect, slur over, make light of, make little of, make nothing of, make no account of, belittle, minimize, think nothing of, set no store by, set at naught, shake off as dewdrops from the lion's mane.For further exploring for "neglect" in Webster Dictionary Online