Synonyms for Ignore
Updated · Synonyms List editorial team
Quick answer: The phrase ignore means to deliberately refuse to take notice of or pay attention to someone or something. You might choose a specific synonym based on the tone you wish to convey, whether it is formal, informal, or emphatic. This list provides clear options to help you express this concept accurately in any context you encounter.
Closest Synonyms for Ignore
- neglect
- Often implies a failure to care for something, as in neglecting a duty
- overlook
- Suggests missing something by accident, like overlooking a small mistake
- disregard
- Indicates a conscious choice to treat something as unimportant, such as disregarding advice
- dismiss
- Means to decide something is not worth considering, like dismissing a complaint
- snub
- Specifically refers to treating someone with deliberate rudeness, such as snubbing a guest
- turn a blind eye to
- Implies knowing about an issue but pretending not to see it, like turning a blind eye to cheating
- pass over
- Used when skipping someone for attention or promotion, such as passing over a candidate
- shun
- Involves avoiding someone entirely, often due to disapproval, like shunning a friend
- miss
- Can mean failing to notice something, such as missing a key detail in a story
- leave out
- Suggests omission, like leaving out an important fact from a report
- brush off
- Means to treat something as trivial, such as brushing off a criticism
- set aside
- Indicates putting thoughts aside, like setting aside worries to focus on work
Formal Synonyms for Ignore
- disobey
- Implies actively refusing to follow commands, such as disobeying a law
- omit
- Refers to the act of leaving something out intentionally, like omitting evidence
- eschew
- Means to keep away from something, like eschewing controversial topics
- decline
- Used for politely refusing an offer, such as declining an invitation
- refrain
- Suggests holding back from doing something, like refraining from speaking
- abstain
- Implies a choice to avoid an action, such as abstaining from voting
- withhold
- Means keeping information back, like withholding data from a meeting
Informal Synonyms for Ignore
- tune out
- Means stopping yourself from listening, such as tuning out loud music
- give the finger
- A rude gesture showing anger, like giving the finger when insulted
- shut out
- Implies blocking something from entering, such as shutting out negative thoughts
- walk past
- Suggests physically avoiding someone, like walking past an acquaintance
- ghost
- Refers to cutting off all contact with someone, such as ghosting a texter
- duck
- Means avoiding a difficult conversation, like ducking a hard question
- skip
- Indicates jumping over a topic, such as skipping a boring section
- sidestep
- Suggests avoiding an issue, like sidestepping a political debate
- play dumb
- Means pretending not to understand, such as playing dumb to avoid trouble
Antonyms for Ignore
- acknowledge
- consider
- notice
- heed
- listen
- observe
- attend
- welcome
- embrace
- accept
How to Pick the Right Synonym
Choosing the best word depends on the specific situation and the emotion you want to convey. For example, use overlook if you made an honest mistake, but use snub if someone was being rude. Formal settings require words like disregard or omit, while casual conversations allow for phrases like brush off or tune out. Always consider the relationship between the people involved and the seriousness of the topic before selecting your final choice.
