negligence
negligence Lexical Profile
negligence Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Failure to take proper or reasonable care in doing something; habitual carelessness or lack of attention to duty.
"The safety audit revealed that the equipment failure was the result of ongoing maintenance negligence."
A breach of a legal duty to exercise the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in similar circumstances, resulting in unintended harm or damage to another party (in law).
"The plaintiff filed a lawsuit alleging medical negligence after the hospital failed to diagnose the condition in time."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'neglect' and 'negligence' overlap in everyday use, 'negligence' is the standard legal term for a breach of a duty of care, whereas 'neglect' more broadly describes the act of failing to care for someone or something.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French 'negligence', from Latin 'negligentia' ('carelessness, heedlessness'), derived from 'negligere' ('to disregard, slight'), composed of 'nec' ('not') and 'legere' ('to pick up, choose').