negligent

adjective

neg·​li·​gent ˈne-gli-jənt How to pronounce negligent (audio)
1
a
: marked by or given to neglect especially habitually or culpably
was a careless workman, negligent of detailsEdith Hamilton
b
: failing to exercise the care expected of a reasonably prudent person in like circumstances
negligent about traffic regulations
2
: marked by a carelessly easy manner
negligently adverb

Did you know?

To be negligent is to be neglectful. Negligence is an important legal concept; it's usually defined as the failure to use the care that a normally careful person would in a given situation. Negligence is a common claim in lawsuits regarding medical malpractice, auto accidents, and workplace injuries. But you can also be negligent about answering your email, or negligent in the way you dress. (The original garment called a negligee was worn by women who had neglected to get fully dressed.) The legal meanings of negligent and negligence, however, tend to be the ones we most often encounter nowadays.

Choose the Right Synonym for negligent

negligent, neglectful, lax, slack, remiss mean culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness.

negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.

negligent about writing a note of thanks

neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.

a society callously neglectful of the poor

lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.

a reporter lax about accurate quotation

slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.

slack workmanship

remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.

had been remiss in their familial duties

Examples of negligent in a Sentence

The fire was started by a negligent smoker. He was negligent in not reporting the accident to the police.
Recent Examples on the Web The Maryland Office of the Attorney General would have enforcement powers under the state consumer protection act, and could impose fines of up to $2,500 per affected child for negligent violations or up to $7,500 per affected child for intentional violations. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Halls last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation. Morgan Lee, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Alec was charged in January with involuntary manslaughter (negligent use of a firearm) or alternatively, with involuntary manslaughter (without due caution or circumspection). Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 After the Bennington County State's Attorney's Office completed its review of the crash in August, Koss voluntarily met with police, was processed on the charge of grossly negligent operation with death resulting, and was released. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 Many Haitians saw him as at best weak, negligent, and silent in the face of abuses against his people. Amy Wilentz, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024 The Alabama court found that people can be held legally responsible for the destruction of embryos under the state’s Wrongful Death Act, which says that an unjustified or negligent act that leads to someone’s death is a civil offense. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024 The testimony of Halls, who pleaded no contest last year to negligent use of a firearm and completed six months of unsupervised parole, may weigh significantly as prosecutors reconstruct the chain of events and custody of ammunition that led to the shooting. CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 David Halls was previously charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and served six months probation as part of a plea deal. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'negligent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English necligent, negligent, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin neglegent-, neglegens (also neclegens, negligens), present participle of neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about, fail to care for" — more at neglect entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of negligent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near negligent

Cite this Entry

“Negligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negligent. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

negligent

adjective
neg·​li·​gent ˈneg-li-jənt How to pronounce negligent (audio)
1
: marked by or likely to show neglect
2
: failing to take proper or normal care
negligently adverb

Legal Definition

negligent

adjective
neg·​li·​gent ˈne-gli-jənt How to pronounce negligent (audio)
: marked by, given to, or produced by negligence
a negligent act
the defendant was negligent
negligently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on negligent

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