negligence
- 01 C1 Advanced
the state of being careless or failing to give enough attention to something you are responsible for.
the state or quality of being negligent; a general failure to exercise proper care or attention in one's duties or actions.
Simple“The accident was caused by the driver's negligence in checking his mirrors.”
In context“The report concluded that the disaster was the direct result of systemic negligence within the maintenance department over several years.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'in' or 'of'.
SynonymsAntonymsdiligenceattentiveness - 02 C1 Advanced
a legal situation where someone fails to act with the care required by law, causing harm to another person.
a tort consisting of the breach of a duty of care owed to another, which causes injury or loss to that person.
Simple“The company was sued for professional negligence after the building collapsed.”
In context“To succeed in a claim for negligence, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed them a duty of care and that the breach caused actual damage.”
UsageCommonly appears in the phrases 'contributory negligence' or 'gross negligence'.
Synonymsmalpracticebreach of duty
“But another question remains unresolved: Can the person controlling the ship from shore also be sued directly for negligence?”
“The suits alleged negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and infliction of emotional distress.”
From Middle English necligence, negligence, from Old French negligence, from Latin neglegentia.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.