negligent
adjective
Edith Hamilton
Did you know?
To be negligent is to be neglectful. Negligence is an important legal concept; it's usually defined as the failure to use the care that a normally careful person would in a given situation. Negligence is a common claim in lawsuits regarding medical malpractice, auto accidents, and workplace injuries. But you can also be negligent about answering your email, or negligent in the way you dress. (The original garment called a negligee was worn by women who had neglected to get fully dressed.) The legal meanings of negligent and negligence, however, tend to be the ones we most often encounter nowadays.
Examples of negligent in a Sentence
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Lacy was booked with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.
—CBS News, 14 Apr. 2025
Buen was convicted in February of criminally negligent homicide in the 2022 killing of Christian Glass after his first trial ended with the jury deadlocked on a murder charge.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2025
It was confirmed in January that Kyren was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.
—Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negligent
Cite this Entry
“Negligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negligent. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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negligent
adjective
Legal Definition
negligent
adjective
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