neglect
[verb]
Synonyms:
- disregard, disdain, ignore, overlook, rebuff, scorn, slight, spurn
- forget, be remiss, evade, omit, pass over, shirk, skimp
[noun]
Synonyms:
- disregard, disdain, inattention, indifference
- negligence, carelessness, dereliction, failure, laxity, oversight, slackness

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Antonyms: cherish
Contrasted words: appreciate, prize, treasure, value, cultivate, foster, nurse, nurture
Related Idioms: pay no attention to, pay no heed (or mind), think little of
Related Words: brush (off or aside), disdain, dismiss, reject, scant, scorn, shrug away, shrug off

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ne‧glect¹ /nɪˈɡlekt/ verb [transitive]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: past participle of neglegere, negligere, from neg- 'not' + legere 'to gather']

1. to fail to look after someone or something properly:
She smoked and drank, neglected the children, and left the clothes unmended.
a neglected garden
The building has been badly neglected.

2. to pay too little attention to something:
Many of these ideas have been neglected by modern historians.
The police officer was accused of neglecting his duty (=not doing everything he should).

3. neglect to do something formal to not do something:
You neglected to mention that they had a second album released during 1991.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. neglect² noun [uncountable]

1. failure to look after something or someone, or the condition of not being looked after
neglect of
Tenants are complaining about the landlord’s neglect of the property.
years/decades/centuries etc of neglect
After years of neglect, the roads were full of potholes.
The whole district had an air of abandonment and neglect.

2. failure to pay proper attention to something
neglect of
Five officers were court-martialled for cowardice or neglect of duty.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

neglect
noun
ADJ. general, total | comparative, relative | benign The eighteenth-century interior of the building has survived through benign neglect.
deliberate, serious, wilful | physical | child The maximum penalty for child neglect is ten years' imprisonment.
VERB + NEGLECT suffer (from) The buildings suffered neglect for centuries.
be guilty of The doctor was guilty of serious neglect of duty.
PREP. by ~ cruelty by neglect
through ~ the suffering of children through neglect
to the ~ of She had concentrated on her music to the neglect of her other studies.
PHRASES centuries/years of neglect After years of neglect the house is at last being restored.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

neglect
verb
ADV. grossly, seriously | completely, entirely, totally, wholly | largely | conveniently (ironic), deliberately, wilfully conveniently neglecting their responsibilities
conspicuously an aspect of the problem conspicuously neglected by social scientists
hitherto, previously
VERB + NEGLECT tend to | cannot/could not afford to This sector is one of the major growth areas and we cannot afford to neglect it.
PREP. in favour of Local communities have been neglected in favour of private sector interests.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

neglect
verb
BAD: Some teachers neglect how much a student can take in during one lesson.
GOOD: Some teachers forget how much a student can take in during one lesson.

Usage Note:
neglect = (1) fail to look after someone or something properly: 'The garden has been badly neglected and will require a lot of attention.'
(2) (formal) fail to do something, especially something that you ought to do: 'The public are demanding to know why the government neglected to warn them of the oil shortage.'
forget = fail to realize something (and be guided by it): 'Children tend to forget that their parents like to have fun too.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲