neglect noun

ADJ. general, total | comparative, relative | benign The eighteenth-century interior of the building has survived through benign neglect. | deliberate, serious, wilful | physical | child The maximum penalty for child neglect is ten years' imprisonment.

VERB + NEGLECT suffer (from) The buildings suffered neglect for centuries. | be guilty of The doctor was guilty of serious neglect of duty.

PREP. by ~ cruelty by neglect | through ~ the suffering of children through neglect | to the ~ of She had concentrated on her music to the neglect of her other studies.

PHRASES centuries/years of neglect After years of neglect the house is at last being restored.