negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.
negligent about writing a note of thanks
neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.
a society callously neglectful of the poor
lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.
a reporter lax about accurate quotation
slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.
slack workmanship
remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.
had been remiss in their familial duties
Example Sentences
Adjective His broken arm hung slack at his side. The rope suddenly went slack. He accused the government of slack supervision of nuclear technology. Verb They need to stop slacking and get down to work. the skipper ordered the crew to slack off the sheets on the mainsail
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English slak, from Old English sleac; akin to Old High German slah slack, Latin laxus slack, loose, languēre to languish, Greek lagnos lustful and perhaps to Greek lēgein to stop
Noun (2)
Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki
Noun (3)
earlier sleck, probably from Middle Dutch slacke, slecke slag
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1