neglect

Neglect means to fail to pay enough attention to someone or something or to not do enough to properly care for someone or something.

In terms of things, neglect usually means that you haven’t maintained them properly. To neglect your car is to fail to make sure it gets the maintenance it needs to keep running properly. To neglect your health is to fail to do anything to maintain it. To neglect your duties is to disregard them, often due to being preoccupied with other things.

When it’s used in the context of people, neglect implies a lack of attention and care. When you neglect a friend or romantic partner, it means you don’t spend enough time with them or you fail to consider or care about their emotional needs. However, the word neglect is often associated with even more serious situations. When the word is used in relation to the care of children, it means to fail to properly care for them in a way that’s equivalent to mistreatment or abuse. This is sometimes called negligence (which is a synonym of neglect and is based on the same root).

As a verb, neglect can also mean to fail to do something, such as through indifference, thoughtlessness, or carelessness. This sense of the verb is typically followed by another verb (in its infinitive form), as in I neglected to check a single box on the form and now I have to start over. 

Neglect is also commonly used as a noun meaning the act or an instance of neglecting, as in These children are victims of neglect, or the state of being neglected, as in The house was in a state of neglect.

The adjective neglectful can be used to describe a person who neglects or their actions. The word neglected can also be used as an adjective, as in neglected children. 

Example: After years of neglect, these pets are being adopted into loving homes.

The first records of the word neglect come from the 1500s. It comes from the Latin neclēctus, from the verb neglegere, meaning “to disregard, ignore, slight.” The first part of the verb neglegere comes from a word meaning “not,” and its base word, legere, means “to pick up.”

If you neglect to pick up after yourself, you’ll end up with a mess. Neglecting things typically involves letting them fall into a state of disrepair or decay. Neglecting people is often more serious, and can involve physical or emotional neglect or both. Those commercials on TV that show neglected children or neglected animals are intended to make you empathetic so that you donate to help ensure that they are provided with proper care.

What are some other forms related to neglect? 

• neglectful (adjective)
• neglected (past tense verb, adjective)
• neglectedness (noun)
• neglecter (noun)

What are some synonyms for neglect?

• disregard
• overlook
• negligence
• carelessness

What are some words that share a root or word element with neglect? 

• negligible

What are some words that often get used in discussing neglect?

• abuse
• emotional
• attention
• care
• careless
• harm
• trauma
• oversight
• danger
• maintain
• disrepair
• decay
• dirty

Neglect is a common word that can be used in a variety of situations. When it’s used in relation to children, it usually implies abuse.

We're #tacklingneglect because children who have been neglected are more likely to suffer #mentalhealth problems pic.twitter.com/RkmcYUiv4V

— NSPCC (@NSPCC) October 28, 2015

I gotta start eating 3 meals a day and stop neglecting my nutrition

— Gold Goddess (@Baetriot) July 3, 2017

Never neglect the things that make you happy :)

— J (@JVCKJ) February 26, 2016

Which of the following things can result in a state of neglect? 

A. lack of attention
B. lack of proper care
C. lack of maintenance
D. all of the above