Neglect, n.
Etymology: [L. neglectus. See Neglect, v.]
1. 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. To tell thee sadly, shepherd, without blame, Or our neglect, we lost her as we came. Milton.
2. Omission if attention or civilities; slight; as, neglect of strangers.
3. Habitual carelessness; negligence. Age breeds neglect in all. Denham.
4. The state of being disregarded, slighted, or neglected. Rescue my poor remains from vile neglect. Prior.
1 more senses
Syn. -- Negligence; inattention; disregard; disesteem; remissness; indifference. See Negligence.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Neglect, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Neglected; p. pr. & vb. n. Neglecting.]
1. Not to attend to with due care or attention; to forbear one's duty in regard to; to suffer to pass unimproved, unheeded, undone, etc.; to omit; to disregard; to slight; as, to neglect duty or business; to neglect to pay debts. I hope My absence doth neglect no great designs. Shak. This, my long suffering and my day of grace, Those who neglect and scorn shall never taste. Milton.
2. To omit to notice; to forbear to treat with attention or respect; to slight; as, to neglect strangers.
Syn. -- To slight; overlook; disregard; disesteem; contemn. See Slight.
Shades of meaning
Neglect (L. nec, not, and lego, gather) is the failing to take such care, show such attention, pay such courtesy, etc., as may be rightfully or reasonably expected. Negligence, which is the same in origin, may be used in almost the same sense, but with a slighter force, as when Whittier speaks of "the negligence which friendship loves;" but negligence is often used to denote the quality or trait of character of which the act is a manifestation, or to denote the habit of neglecting that which ought to be done. Neglect is transitive, negligence is intransitive; we speak of neglect of his books, friends, or duties, in which cases we could not use negligence; negligence in dress implies want of care as to its arrangement, tidiness, etc.; neglect of one's garments would imply leaving them exposed to defacement or injury, as by dust, moths, etc. Neglect has a passive sense which negligence has not; the child was suffering from neglect, i. e., from being neglected by others; the child was suffering from negligence would imply that he himself was neglectful. The distinction sometimes made that neglect denotes the act, and negligence the habit, is but partially true; one may be guilty of habitual neglect of duty; the wife may suffer from her husband's constant neglect, while the negligence which causes a railroad accident may be that of a moment, and on the part of one ordinarily careful and attentive; in such cases the law provides punishment for criminal negligence.
Prepositions
Neglect of duty, of the child by the parent; there was neglect on the part of the teacher.