NEG-lij-uhnt-lee
/ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəntli/
negligently is pronounced NEG-lij-uhnt-lee (/ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəntli/). Negligently means failing to exercise care that a reasonably prudent person would in like circumstances, resulting in avoidable harm or risk. It describes behavior marked by careless disregard for duties or consequences, often implying a higher degree of fault than mere carelessness. In legal and formal writing, it signals a degree of negligence that can be scrutinized or charged.
Negligently means failing to exercise care that a reasonably prudent person would in like circumstances, resulting in avoidable harm or risk. It describes behavior marked by careless disregard for duties or consequences, often implying a higher degree of fault than mere carelessness. In legal and formal writing, it signals a degree of negligence that can be scrutinized or charged.
- You often slip into a two- or three-beat rhythm, making the first syllable too short and the final -ly too strong. Work toward a steady 4-syllable rhythm with primary stress on the first syllable. - The /d͡ʒ/ in the third syllable must be a single sound; avoid splitting it into /d/ and /ʒ/. - People commonly mispronounce the middle vowel as /æ/ or /ɪ/; keep /ɪ/ but with a crisp, quick transition into /d͡ʒ/. Correction tips: slow down, practice the sequence neonized as NEG-lidh-ʒənt-lee; tap your teeth together for /d͡ʒ/ before releasing into the following /ə/, then glide into /ntli/.
"The driver was charged with negligently causing the accident."
"Her employer argued she was negligently handling confidential information."
"The study concluded that the company negligently ignored safety warnings."
Pronounce as /ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li/. Start with NEH- glih- JENT-lee, stressing the first syllable. The middle syllable features the /dʒ/ affricate as in judge, and the final -ly is a light, unstressed -li. Try exaggerating the first syllable a touch, then let the /ɡl/ blend into /dəntli/ for a smooth tail. IPA guide: US/UK/AU share the same phonemes here.
Common errors: misplacing stress (say ne-GLI-gent-ly), mispronouncing /ɡl/ as separate /g/ and /l/, or softening the /dʒ/ to /zʒ/ or /ʒ/. Correction: keep the /dʒ/ as a single affricate [d͡ʒ], ensure the /ɡ/ links to the following /l/ without a strong pause, and maintain primary stress on the first syllable. Finish with a clear, light -ly ending. Practice with slow syllables: [ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li].
US: rhotic, full /r/ is not relevant here, but ensure clear /æ/ or /ɛ/ as in /ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li/. UK: similar, but if you’re a non-rhotic speaker, the r isn't pronounced; the sequence remains the same. AU: tends to be very precise with /ɡl/ cluster and clear /ə/ in the middle syllable, sometimes slight vowel reduction in the penultimate syllable. Overall, the /dʒ/ remains strong across accents; the main difference is vowel quality and the presence or absence of rhoticity in surrounding vowels.
Two main challenges: the /dʒ/ in the middle combines with the preceding /ɡ/ and following /ə/, requiring a smooth transitional mouth movement; and the multi-syllabic structure with four syllables demands precise stress management and pace. The /ɡl/ cluster must stay connected without inserting a vowel between /ɡ/ and /l/. Mastery comes from slow practice, then rhythmic repetition to stabilize the transition and reduce a tendency to drop the final -li.
A unique concern is ensuring the /ɡl/ combination is not misheard as /gl/ with separate sounds. Visualize the tongue moving from the back of the mouth for /ɡ/ to the alveolar region for /l/, keeping the /d͡ʒ/ intact as a brief, single sound. Think of saying 'neg- lee- shuh nt- lee' too slowly at first, then compress quickly to /ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li/.
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- US: maintain rhoticity only in surrounding vowels; keep /ɪ/ in the second syllable crisp; the final -ly often reduces to a weak -li. - UK: keep non-rhotic, so /ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li/ with a slightly shorter vowel on the second syllable; avoid adding extra r-coloring to /ɪ/. - AU: clear enunciation of /d͡ʒ/ and /l/ with a slightly rounded /ɪ/ but not overly rounded; maintain precise boundary between syllables. IPA anchors: /ˈnɛɡ.lɪ.dʒənt.li/ for all, with minor vowel quality variations.
Negligently derives from late Latin negligentia, from neglegent-, neglegens, meaning careless, heedless; from Latin neglegere, neglego “to neglect, disregard.” The root neg- consistently signals “no, not” and legere “to select, collect, or gather,” but in Latin neglegere has the sense of “to disregard or slight.” This sense evolved into English via Old French neglect, which carried both noun and adjective forms; neglect, negligent, and negligence appear in English from the 14th–16th centuries. By the 15th–16th centuries, negligent began as an adjective meaning “careless, heedless,” with -ly forming the adverb negligently by adding -ly to the adjective. The adverb use clarified the manner of action—performed in a negligent manner. Over time, negligently has become a common adverb in legal, medical, and academic prose to emphasize fault and the degree of negligence. In modern usage, negligently often collocates with verbs of action (fail, handle, maintain) and with phrases describing violation of duty, risk, or care. Its nuance sits between “careless” (milder) and “grossly negligent” (stronger fault). First known usage as an adverb traces to Early Modern English, with written forms appearing in law and formal discourse soon after, reflecting the period’s precision in describing fault and accountability.
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Words that rhyme with "negligently"
-lly sounds
-tly sounds
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