remiss

Imagine a watchman who falls asleep on the job—he's been remiss in his duties! It means neglecting something you should be doing, often because of carelessness or forgetfulness. You might be remiss if you forget a friend's birthday, or a company could be remiss in making sure safety standards are met. It suggests a lapse in responsibility—not necessarily intentional wrongdoing, but still a failing. Think of it as "dropping the ball": you should have done something, and you didn't.

To be remiss means to be negligent or careless in performing a duty or fulfilling an obligation. It carries a sense of mild disapproval, suggesting that someone has failed to do what was expected of them, often due to forgetfulness, a lack of attention, or simply not prioritizing the task at hand. The word traces back to the Latin remissus, meaning "slackened" or "relaxed."

Unlike outright maliciousness or intentional wrongdoing, remiss implies a failure in diligence rather than intent. A teacher might be remiss in grading papers if they're overwhelmed with other tasks. A parent could be remiss in monitoring their child's online activity. A company might be remiss in maintaining equipment, leading to an accident.

You often see remiss used with the preposition "in" (e.g., "remiss in his duties") or "of" (e.g., "It would be remiss of me..."). The latter is frequently used in the polite, formal idiom: "I would be remiss if I didn't mention..." which essentially means, "I would be failing in my duty if I didn't tell you." While it's a somewhat formal word, it adds significant nuance when describing a failure of responsibility. If someone is remiss, they've let something slip through the cracks—a duty overlooked, or an obligation neglected. It is not about malice, but about a lack of proper attention or care.