negligent
/'neglidʤənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Failing to take proper care in doing something; characterized by neglect or lack of due care or concern. It describes a person or their actions that do not show the necessary attention, care, or effort that a situation requires, often leading to mistakes, oversights, or harm.
Usage and Examples
General Use: Describes a person's habitual carelessness or a specific careless act.
- The court found the company negligent for not maintaining safe equipment.
- She was negligent in locking the doors before leaving the house.
With Prepositions:
- Negligent in (doing something): Failing to do something with proper care.
- The doctor was negligent in his duties.
- He has been negligent in paying his bills on time.
- Negligent of (something): Failing to give proper attention to something.
- She was negligent of her responsibilities as a team leader.
Advanced Usage
- Legal Context: In law, "negligent" is a key term for establishing liability. It means failing to exercise the level of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in the same circumstances.
- The driver was found criminally negligent for causing the accident.
- Comparative and Superlative Forms:
- More negligent, Most negligent: Used for comparison.
- His second report was even more negligent than the first.
Variants and Related Words
- Negligence (noun): The state or fact of being negligent; a failure to take proper care.
- The accident was a result of gross negligence.
- Negligently (adverb): In a negligent manner.
- He negligently left the confidential documents on his desk.
Synonyms
- Careless: Not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors.
- Remiss: Lacking care or attention to duty; negligent.
- Derelict: Willfully negligent; failing in one's duty.
- Heedless: Showing a reckless lack of care or attention.
Antonyms
- Careful: Making sure of avoiding potential danger, mishap, or harm; cautious.
- Diligent: Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties.
- Attentive: Paying close attention to something.
- Conscientious: Wishing to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- Culpable negligence: A degree of negligence that is greater than simple carelessness; it implies a reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others, often with legal consequences.
- The surgeon was accused of culpable negligence.
- Willful negligence: An intentional failure to perform a manifest duty in reckless disregard of the consequences.
- The landlord's willful negligence led to the tenant's injury.
Adjective
- characterized by neglect and undue lack of concern
- negligent parents
- negligent of detail
- negligent in his correspondence