remiss
Americanadjective
-
negligent, careless, or slow in performing one's duty, business, etc..
He's terribly remiss in his work.
- Synonyms:
- neglectful, slack, lax, thoughtless, derelict
-
characterized by negligence or carelessness.
- Synonyms:
- neglectful, slack, lax, thoughtless, derelict
adjective
-
lacking in care or attention to duty; negligent
-
lacking in energy; dilatory
Synonym Usage
See neglect.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of remiss
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin remissus, past participle of remittere “to send back, slacken, relax”; see remit
Explanation
If it's your turn to bring in the coffee and donuts for your early morning meeting, and you forget, then your co-workers can say that you were remiss in fulfilling your responsibility to keep them awake with sugar and caffeine. Don't expect to get much done at your meeting. The adjective remiss is often used in the phrase "remiss in one's duty." The principal was remiss in her duty to tell parents about the incident at school. After the parents heard about it from their kids, the principal received several angry phone calls wondering why the school had been locked down for loose farm animals.
Vocabulary lists containing remiss
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It would be remiss of me to not take that responsibility seriously, but at the same time, that’s not why I set out to do it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Tracy Brown concurs: “I’d be remiss not to mention that the always excellent ‘Dark Winds’ keeps getting better and is long overdue for some Emmys recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
It would be remiss not to say I wish I had got to world number one, but that wasn't in my path.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025
The lawyer put it to Esther Davidson that if the allegations about patient safety concerns were true then it was "seriously remiss" of Dr Upton not to have reported them at the time.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2025
“I would be remiss to do so twice. Pray, what are your names, children? Your full names, please.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
