I. -nt adjective
Etymology: Middle English negligent, necgligent, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French negligent, from Latin neglegent-, neglegens, present participle of neglegere to neglect — more at neglect
1. : that is marked by or given to neglect : that is neglectful especially habitually or culpably
was a careless workman, negligent of detail — Edith Hamilton
negligent in his correspondence
specifically : not exercising the care usually exercised by a prudent person
negligent about traffic regulations
2. : that is marked by or given to a carelessly easy manner in such a way as to produce a usually agreeable effect
negligent speech
negligent action
: marked by a nonchalant indifference : free from stiffness or restraint : not labored or artificial : unstudied , offhand
converse with negligent ease upon indifferent topics — Arnold Bennett
wore clothes with a negligent grace
Synonyms:
neglectful , lax , slack , remiss : negligent suggests culpable inattentiveness resulting in imperfection, incompleteness, slovenliness, or danger or damage to others
so negligent in his poetical style … so slovenly, slipshod, and infelicitous — Matthew Arnold
would come from the kitchen and pass slowly about the table, vaguely negligent unless she was directed by … brief orders — Elizabeth M. Roberts
negligent about not maintaining a steady watch on the fire
neglectful may be more censorious in centering attention without palliation on the fact of neglect
was not neglectful and would write as soon as he found anything good — Upton Sinclair
peoples who when they dress themselves are utterly neglectful of what we consider the first requirements of decency — Edward Westermarck
lax implies a want of strictness, stringency, precision, severity, or careful attention, usually a blameworthy want
scandalously lax in restraining drunkards from annoying the sober — G.M.Trevelyan
their rather lax mental processes allow sweeping generalizations about the riddle of the universe and the mystery that is man — W.L.Sperry
slack suggests want of necessary due care, diligence, attention, or application
if they were slack in performing these arduous duties — G.M.Trevelyan
one of the oars slipped from her slack grasp and floated beside the drifting skiff — B.A.Williams
remiss strongly implies the fact of blameworthiness or culpability without implication about the degree
so remiss did they become in their attentions that we could no longer rely upon their bringing us the daily supply of food — Herman Melville
shamefully remiss about paying them — H.E.Scudder
II. noun
( -s )
archaic : a negligent person