Synonym Chooser

How is the word neglectful different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of neglectful are lax, negligent, remiss, and slack. While all these words mean "culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness," neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.

a society callously neglectful of the poor

When can lax be used instead of neglectful?

The meanings of lax and neglectful largely overlap; however, lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.

a reporter lax about accurate quotation

When might negligent be a better fit than neglectful?

While the synonyms negligent and neglectful are close in meaning, negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.

negligent about writing a note of thanks

Where would remiss be a reasonable alternative to neglectful?

The words remiss and neglectful can be used in similar contexts, but remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.

had been remiss in their familial duties

When is it sensible to use slack instead of neglectful?

The words slack and neglectful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.

slack workmanship

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of neglectful My parents were off to a party, my younger brother was in bed, and my older sister had a neglectful attitude toward babysitting me. ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025 Like Fallen Idols, The Carters explores the early dysfunction, trauma, addiction, and neglectful parenting that contributed to each of the Carter children’s issues in adulthood. Rachel Brodsky, Time, 15 Apr. 2025 And this isn’t to say Hackman didn’t turn in one of the best performances of his career as neglectful patriarch Royal. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 1 Mar. 2025 The rise of institutional investment in housing has also made people more vulnerable to eviction and to neglectful or abusive landlord management practices. Made By History, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for neglectful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for neglectful
Adjective
  • In August 2023, using the FWC’s report on the crash, prosecutors initially charged Pino with only three counts of misdemeanor careless boating.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 May 2025
  • Being a careless jackass but also irresistibly charming is a tough needle to thread.
    Staff Author Published, EW.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Jack Sparks, aquatics director for the city, said Black Bob Bay’s water park typically draws the biggest crowds with its lazy river, rock wall and high dive.
    Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 23 May 2025
  • Some argued that this is standard gentle parenting, while others believed that parents are too lazy to follow through with demands.
    Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • The mother was charged with four counts of first-degree domestic violence, aggravated child abuse, abuse of a corpse and criminally negligent homicide.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • Teresa Louise Biswanath, 46, was sentenced to two years behind bars after a jury convicted her of criminally negligent homicide, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in a May 13 news release.
    Sara Schilling, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Trump argued that the Biden administration was derelict in its duty regarding disaster relief and seized on a scandal involving the apparent politicization of government resources involving a Florida official.
    Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 22 May 2025
  • Broken out in three separate stories, the gritty, violent movie follows an amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, who are all separately struggling to find love, and discover their lives metamorphosized by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Neglectful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/neglectful. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on neglectful

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