Meaning & use
dereliction of duties
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Meaning
nounfixed phraseformal
Serious failure to do the tasks or responsibilities that belong to your job or position.
Grammar: The singular form dereliction of duty is more standard; the plural stresses several failures.
Patterns
- dereliction of duties
The guard was fired for dereliction of duties after leaving the gate unlocked.
The inquiry found repeated dereliction of duties by senior managers.
Skipping the safety checks was a clear dereliction of duties.
Common combinations
- accused of dereliction of duties
- The officer was accused of dereliction of duties.
- charged with dereliction of duties
- He was charged with dereliction of duties.
- gross dereliction of duties
- The board called it a gross dereliction of duties.
- guilty of dereliction of duties
- Both supervisors were found guilty of dereliction of duties.
- dismissed for dereliction of duties
- She was dismissed for dereliction of duties.
Synonyms and how they differ
- negligence
- Broader; it covers carelessness in general and not only failing a specific job.
- neglect of duty
- A plainer, near-identical expression with less legal flavor.
- misconduct
- Suggests wrongdoing, whereas dereliction suggests failing to act.
- irresponsibility
- A general quality, not a formal charge.
Word family
- dereliction noun
- failure to do what one should
- derelict adjective
- failing in duty; also abandoned
- duty noun
- a responsibility
- dutiful adjective
- careful to do one's duty
Commonly confused: dereliction of duties or deprivation?
dereliction of duties vs deprivation
Deprivation is lacking basic needs; dereliction is failing a duty.
Practice
A nurse who ignores a patient's alarm repeatedly may be accused of ___.
Choose one answer.
Dereliction means failing to do required work, which fits ignoring an alarm. The other options are not real expressions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dereliction of duties”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.