ignore

verb

ig·​nore ig-ˈnȯr 

ignored; ignoring

transitive verb

1

: to refuse to take notice of

2

: to reject (a bill of indictment) as ungrounded

ignorable

ig-ˈnȯr-ə-bəl 

adjective

ignorer noun

Synonyms

• bypass
• disregard
• forget
• neglect
• overlook
• overpass
• pass over
• slight
• slur (over)

Choose the Right Synonym for ignore

neglect, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, forget mean to pass over without giving due attention.

neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

habitually neglected his studies

disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

disregarded the wishes of his family

ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

ignored the snide remark

overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care.

in my rush I overlooked a key example

slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting.

slighted several major authors in her survey

forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

forget what others say

Examples of ignore in a Sentence

She tried to ignore him but he wouldn't leave her alone.

I'll ignore that last remark.

If we continue to ignore these problems they will only get worse.

They ignored the warning signs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Spider-Man is too big a property, with far too much potential and too many fantastic stories to tell, for Sony to ignore the value of any property for long, regardless of the shelving of the SSU for now. —Mark Hughes, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

For someone to single out sports betting as uniquely damaging is disingenuous and ignores the broader context of how Americans allocate discretionary income. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024

While stocks fell slightly on Thursday, investors are mostly ignoring recent reports showing inflation is still a very real problem. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 12 Dec. 2024

But key architects of the British and American working classes ignored efforts to fuse the labor and abolitionist movements and instead linked labor militancy to white suffering. —Gunther Peck / Made By History, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

obsolete ignore to be ignorant of, from French ignorer, from Latin ignorare, from ignarus ignorant, unknown, from in- + gnoscere, noscere to know — more at know

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ignore

verb

ig·​nore ig-ˈnō(ə)r 

-ˈnȯ(ə)r

ignored; ignoring

: to refuse to notice : pay no attention to

ignored his advice

ignorable

-ˈnō(ə)r-ə-bəl 

-ˈnȯ(ə)r-

adjective

ignorer noun