neglected

adjective

ne·​glect·​ed ni-ˈglek-təd 

: not given proper or necessary care or attention

neglected children

a neglected subject

a sadly neglected garden

Synonyms

• beat-up
• bombed-out
• dilapidated
• dog-eared
• down-at-the-heels
• down-at-heel
• down-at-the-heel
• down-at-heels
• dumpy
• grungy
• mangy
• mean
• miserable
• moth-eaten
• ratty
• run-down
• scrubby
• scruffy
• seedy
• shabby
• sleazy
• tacky
• tatterdemalion
• tatty
• threadbare
• timeworn
• tumbledown

Examples of neglected in a Sentence

a neglected teddy bear, missing one eye and both ears, shoved into the closet

Recent Examples on the Web

Soft landing optimism has led the 2024 stock rally to broaden as of late into more neglected areas of the market such as small-caps. —Krystal Hur, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024

Meanwhile, a team aiming to restore a neglected and earthquake-damaged archaeological site in Turkey came across a tiny 3,500-year-old cuneiform tablet. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 17 Aug. 2024

Take a picture of an empty or neglected tequila bottle at home and upload it to the Mango Shotta site on Wednesday. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024

Good news: Even a neglected backyard can be transformed into a five-star oasis with the right touches of furniture and decor. —Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of neglect entry 1

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above