neglect of duty
1
5.1
- noun
- Formal
:
negligencia en el deber
- For cause is generally regulated as some form of inefficiency in governance, neglect of duty, or a malfeasance.
- willful neglect of duty
- charged with neglect of duty
Examples
-
You oughta report 'em for neglect of duty.
-
He joined the Army at 18 and secured an appointment to West Point a few years later, and then was thrown out for gross neglect of duty and insubordination.
Blog text (17) -
In December 1653, he was reprimanded by his peers and fined for neglect of duty; many subsequent warnings went unheeded.
Academic text (2001) -
While an unnamed Castilian scolds him in the streets of Barcelona, citing the disorder that the neglect of duty incites in the rest of society.
Academic text (2002) -
These include, but are not limited to, immorality, insubordination, neglect of duty, sexual orientation, unprofessional conduct, unfitness to teach, and reductions in force.
Academic text (1994) -
The officer was held accountable for his neglect of duty during the incident.
-
Her neglect of duty led to serious consequences for the entire team.
-
After the investigation, he was found guilty of neglect of duty and faced disciplinary action.
Synonyms
80
6.5
Failure to take proper care that causes harm or loss
16
8.4
Not doing a duty you must do
1
6.9
Failure to do required tasks at work or school
1
6.5
Not doing what you must by law or by what is right to keep others safe
1
9.9
Not doing something you must do by law or duty that hurts people
Not giving needed care and attention to responsibilities or people
A lack of care when doing important work that causes problems
Not paying attention and being careless about work
Not doing work or tasks when you should
Antonyms
How Negligent
- Formal
16
8.4
- Specialized
80
6.5
- Formal
1
5.1
30
4.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'neglect' (failure to give sufficient care) + 'duty' (a responsibility), with 'of' simply linking the two. Even though it has a formal/legal register, the basic sense 'failure to perform one's responsibilities' is predictable for a B1 learner who knows the constituent words and similar constructions exist cross-linguistically.
Etymology
The phrase neglect of duty comes from the simple image of a worker or guard who ignores their post and leaves tasks undone. The word neglect means not doing something and duty means your job, so the phrase means 'failure to do your job'.