ないがしろ

な

い

が

し

ろ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun, na-adjective

slight; disrespect; neglect; making light of

usually written using kana alone

Used to describe treating someone or something as unimportant, often in the phrase ないがしろにする.

彼かれはいつも私わたしの意い見けんをないがしろにする。
He always makes light of my opinions.
安あん全ぜん対たい策さくをないがしろにしてはいけない。
You must not neglect safety measures.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Expressions

ないがしろにするmake light of; ignore; slight; neglect

Kanji

蔑ignore, despise, neglect

Related words

軽けい視し
軽視 is a more formal, Sino-Japanese term for underestimating or disregarding something, while ないがしろ is a native Japanese word with a stronger nuance of treating something with contempt or neglect.
無む視し
無視 means actively ignoring something, while ないがしろ implies a more passive neglect or lack of proper respect.

Written forms

ないがしろUsage88%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 蔑ろ is rare.
蔑ないがしろUsage12%
Rare kanji spelling; the kana form is strongly preferred.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it may be related to the classical Japanese adjective なし (無し, 'not exist') and the noun がしろ, possibly from かしら (頭, 'head') or かしろ (place). The exact derivation is unclear.