negligent

Negligent is an adjective describing a person or action characterized by failing to take reasonable care to avoid harm. It conveys carelessness rather than intentional wrongdoing. In everyday usage, a negligent driver or a negligent supervisor implies a failure to exercise appropriate caution.

In legal contexts, negligence refers to a failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would under similar circumstances, resulting in harm. Key elements typically include the existence of a duty of care, a breach of that duty, actual causation of damages, and damages themselves. Distinctions exist between ordinary negligence and gross negligence, the latter showing a reckless disregard for safety. Some jurisdictions apply comparative negligence, reducing liability based on the plaintiff’s share of fault.

Negligence can arise in various professional and civil contexts, such as medical malpractice (professional negligence by a clinician), legal malpractice, engineering, or product liability. Civil cases often seek compensation for injuries or losses caused by negligent acts.

Etymology traces negligent to Latin neglegentia, neglegere, meaning “to neglect,” passing through Old French into English. The term emphasizes a failure to meet expected standards of care rather than intentional harm.

See also: negligence, duty of care, liability, carelessness, remissness.