What does ignoring mean?
Ignoring means deliberately failing to notice, acknowledge, or take account of someone or something. It is the present participle of the verb ignore and is especially common in expressions such as 'ignoring the warning,' 'ignoring instructions,' and 'ignoring the facts.' The word often suggests an active choice not to respond rather than a simple failure to perceive something, although the distinction can depend on context. As an adjective, it can describe a person, action, or condition that is being disregarded, as in 'ignoring a person' or 'an ignoring attitude.' Ignoring can be appropriate when someone intentionally chooses not to react, but in social and professional contexts it generally carries a negative connotation because it implies inattention, disrespect, or refusal to acknowledge an important issue.
Deliberately failing to notice, acknowledge, or take account of someone or something.
"He kept talking, ignoring the attempts to get his attention."
Used in the present continuous and as the -ing form of a larger verb phrase, such as 'is ignoring' or 'kept ignoring.'
Disregarding or treating someone or something as unimportant; deliberately failing to acknowledge.
"The report was criticized for its ignoring treatment of the warnings."
Less common than the verbal participle and usually used attributively or in a hyphenated compound.
Ignoring is more than simply not seeing: it often implies choosing not to acknowledge what is plainly there.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does ignoring come from?
The word comes from the Latin verb ignorare, formed from in- meaning 'not' and gnor-, related to the root meaning 'to know' or 'become aware.' English borrowed the Latin form through Old French, where it developed into ignore. Ignoring shares this origin with ignorance, ignorantly, and ignorable, although its current use is as a present-participle form of the English verb.
Related word forms
How ignoring is actually used
The present-participle form is common in continuous constructions and in phrases such as 'ignoring the facts' or 'pretending not to notice.' When used adjectivally, it often describes a deliberate act of disregard and can imply a lack of responsibility.
Easily confused with ignoring
Ignoring can suggest a deliberate failure to attend to something, while overlooking more often means failing to notice it, whether deliberately or by chance.