neglected; neglecting; neglects
1
: to give little attention or respect to : disregard
The building has been neglected for years.
2
: to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness
The prison guard neglected his duty.
neglecter
noun
1
: an act or instance of neglecting something
2
: the condition of being neglected
Synonyms
Examples of neglect in a Sentence
Verb
The building has been neglected for years.
The city has neglected the teacher shortage for too long.
The prison guard neglected his duty.
Noun
The park was overgrown and littered from years of neglect.
The parents were charged with child neglect.
The house is in a state of neglect.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Bader, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
Many in the community — which didn’t get piped running water until 1980, followed by a sewer system, paved roads and streetlights — believe their basic needs have been neglected.
—Ricky Carioti, Washington Post, 5 July 2024
David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024
Advocates have said the agency, which investigates cases of child abuse and neglect, is not equipped to deal with the root causes of truancy.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for neglect 
Verb
This is an agency that took 16 years to spend $11 billion to build a new rail terminal (that took almost 50 years to go from idea to construction) and then neglected to buy the additional cars for it.
—Paul Bader, New York Daily News, 9 July 2024
Many in the community — which didn’t get piped running water until 1980, followed by a sewer system, paved roads and streetlights — believe their basic needs have been neglected.
—Ricky Carioti, Washington Post, 5 July 2024
Noun
According to a Humane Society report, approximately 20 million pets in the U.S. experience neglect due to their family's poverty, and 70 percent have never seen a veterinarian.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024
Advocates have said the agency, which investigates cases of child abuse and neglect, is not equipped to deal with the root causes of truancy.
—Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for neglect
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neglect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near neglect
Cite this Entry
“Neglect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neglect. Accessed 14 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
neglect
1 of 2 verb
ne·glect
ni-ˈglekt 
1
: to give little attention or respect to
neglected their garden
2
: to leave undone or not attended to especially through carelessness
don't neglect to feed the fish
neglecter
noun
neglect
2 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of neglecting something
his neglect of important responsibilities
2
: the condition of being neglected
the stone wall was collapsing from years of neglect
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