Definition

1. Verb:

   • To withdraw; to disengage; to back out: To remove oneself from a commitment, agreement, or cooperative situation. This is the most common usage, often implying a sudden or unexpected withdrawal.
   • To become indifferent or lose interest: To cease caring about or paying attention to something one was previously involved with.

2. Adjective (in compound form):

   • Hard of hearing; inattentive: Used in the compound "nghễnh ngãng" to describe someone who is deaf or does not listen attentively.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Nó ngãng ra rồi, không muốn hợp tác với chúng ta nữa. (He has backed out and no longer wants to cooperate with us.)
  • Sau thất bại, cô ấy ngãng hẳn, không tham gia dự án nào. (After the failure, she completely withdrew and doesn't join any projects.)

Advanced Usage

• The verb is frequently used with the particle "ra" as "ngãng ra," which emphasizes the action of pulling away or disengaging.
  • Đừng ngãng ra khi mọi việc đang khó khăn. (Don't back out when things are getting difficult.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghễnh ngãng (adj): Hard of hearing; inattentive; not listening.
  • Mắt lòa tai ngãng. (Blind and hard of hearing.)
  • Ông ấy già rồi nên hơi nghễnh ngãng. (He's old so he's a bit hard of hearing.)

Synonyms

• Withdraw: To remove oneself from participation.
• Back out: To decide not to do something one had agreed to do.
• Disengage: To detach or separate oneself.

Notes on Usage

• The standalone use of "ngãng" as a verb is colloquial and often carries a slightly negative connotation of unreliability or fickleness.
• Its meaning as "hard of hearing" is almost exclusively found in the fixed, reduplicative compound "nghễnh ngãng." It is rarely used alone with this meaning.