Meaning & use
ignored
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“ignored” is a form of “ignore”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Knowingly paid no attention to a person, warning, or rule, as if it were not there.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of ignore; always takes an object: she ignored the sign.
Patterns
- ignore someone
- ignore something
- be ignored by someone
He ignored my calls for three days.
The driver ignored the red light and nearly hit a cyclist.
Her advice was ignored by the whole committee.
verbtransitive
Failed to take account of a fact or detail that ought to have been considered.
Grammar: Takes an object such as a fact, problem or evidence: they ignored the cost.
Patterns
- ignore the fact that something
- ignore the evidence
The report ignored the effects of rising prices.
They ignored the fact that most customers were already leaving.
The study ignored earlier research on the same topic.
Word forms
| base form | ignore |
|---|---|
| third person singular | ignores |
| past tense | ignored |
| past participle | ignored |
| -ing form | ignoring |
Common combinations
- completely ignored
- The warning was completely ignored by the crowd.
- ignored the advice
- He ignored the advice of his doctor and kept working.
- ignored the warning
- They ignored the warning and swam out past the flags.
- feel ignored
- New employees often feel ignored in big companies.
- largely ignored
- The problem has been largely ignored by the government.
- ignored the request
- The airline ignored her request for a refund.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disregarded
- Is more formal and used for rules, advice or facts, while ignored is also natural for people.
- overlooked
- Suggests that something was missed by accident, whereas ignored implies a deliberate choice.
- snubbed
- Means rejected someone in a way that is clearly meant to hurt, which is stronger than simply ignored.
- neglected
- Suggests failing to look after something that needed care, while ignored just means not reacting to it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ignored or ignorant? ignored or overlooked?
ignored vs ignorant
Ignorant means lacking knowledge, whereas ignored always involves paying no attention to something you know about.
ignored vs overlooked
You ignore something you see, but you overlook something you fail to notice.
Practice
Lena saw the sign clearly but ____ it and parked there anyway.
Choose one answer.
Ignored means she knew about the sign and chose not to follow it. Overlooked, missed and forgot all suggest she did not notice or remember, which contradicts saw clearly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ignored”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.