Neglected

How to spell neglected

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce neglected

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does neglected mean?

1. adjectiveSuffering from a lack of proper care, attention, or maintenance.
2. verbFailed to give proper attention to a duty, task, or person, in the past.

Neglected in a sentence

• adjective

  The neglected garden was choked with weeds after the tenants left.

• verb

  She neglected her studies and fell behind by the end of term.

• adjective

  Inspectors found a neglected building with peeling paint and broken windows.

• verb

  The landlord neglected the repairs for months despite repeated complaints.

Where does neglected come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb neglegere (also spelled neclegere), meaning 'to disregard' or 'to make light of', which was formed from neg-, a particle meaning 'not', joined to legere, 'to gather, pick out, or choose'. The literal idea was therefore 'not to pick up' or 'to leave ungathered', which softened into the sense of failing to attend to something. English took the verb 'neglect' in the sixteenth century, and 'neglected' is simply its past form, used both as a verb and as an adjective. The root legere is remarkably productive: it also gave us 'collect' (gather together), 'select' (pick apart), and 'elect' (pick out), so the family resemblance is a useful memory hook. The spelling stays close to the Latin, which is why the silent middle keeps the single g and the hard c sound spelled with a c before t.

How the word is built

• neg- (not)
• lect (from Latin legere: to gather, choose)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)