neglect

/ni-ˈglekt/

borrowed from Latin neglēctus, past participle of neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about, fail to care for," from nec "not" (probably from ne- "not" + -ce, deictic element, going back to Indo-European *ḱe, *ḱi) + legere "to gather, select, read"

verb

  1. to give little attention or respect to : disregard

  2. to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness

The building has been neglected for years.

neglect disregard ignore overlook slight forget mean to pass over without giving due attention. neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention. disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

noun

  1. an act or instance of neglecting something

  2. the condition of being neglected

noun

  1. an attitude or policy of ignoring an often delicate or undesirable situation that one is held to be responsible for dealing with