Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

negligence

/ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.65 in modern English

Syllables
neg-li-gence
IPA
/ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The state of being negligent.

Uncountable

noun

The tort whereby a duty of reasonable care was breached, causing damage: any conduct short of intentional or reckless action that falls below the legal standard for preventing unreasonable injury.

Uncountable

noun

The breach of a duty of care: the failure to exercise a standard of care that a reasonable person would have in a similar situation.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English necligence, negligence, from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *leǵ-, necligence, negligence, neglegentia

Usage

Inflected Forms

negligences (plural)

Derived Forms

overnegligence

Phrases

contributory negligence criminal negligence culpable negligence gross negligence negligence per se

Frequently Paired Words

negligent neglect endangerment

Synonyms

carelessness neglect nonperformance neglectfulness

Questions

How do you pronounce negligence?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/.
What does negligence mean?
The state of being negligent.
Where does negligence come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce negligence

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “negligence”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɛɡlɪd͡ʒəns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “negligence”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “negligence” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.