benign neglect en · NOUN
Etymology
Reportedly coined in 1969 by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, adviser to US President Richard Nixon, who recommended this policy with respect to the issue of US racial strife.
Meanings
-
(qualifier:set phrase; often politics or public policy; set phrase; often politics or public policy, uncountable) A policy or strategy of deliberately taking no action concerning an issue, challenging situation, or other problem in the belief that this course will ultimately result in the best outcome possible.
[T]he Japanese have been intervening to hold down the value of the yen, while Washington has been adopting a policy of benign neglect towards the dollar.
2003 May 28, Larry Elliott, Charlotte Denny, “Strong euro causes weak smiles among Europe's policy gurus”, in The Guardian, UK, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016, retrieved 16 Jul 2014:As a parent, I think that it’s time to declare a period of benign neglect when it comes to food.
2014 April 19, Mark Oppenheimer, “Let Them Drink Chocolate”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022, retrieved 16 Jul 2014:I deliberately choose houseplants that thrive on benign neglect.
2008 August 6, Ann Lovejoy, “Gardening: Camp can be a ball for houseplants”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2025, retrieved 16 Jul 2014:So tranquil, so quiescent seems Black America in the Nixon Era that a presidential partisan could well argue that "benign neglect" has worked.
1971 February 22, Karsten Prager, “The Cooling Of America: Right On Toward a New Black Pluralism”, in TIME, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025, retrieved 16 Jul 2014:
Relateds
let nature take its course · let sleeping dogs lie · hands off · laissez faire