In legal terms, "negligence" primarily refers to which of the following?

The term "negligence" is fundamentally defined as the failure to exercise a reasonable level of care that a typical person would in similar circumstances, leading to unintended harm to others. This concept is central to tort law and serves as a basis for liability in many personal injury cases.

When one party's lack of reasonable care causes harm to another, it meets the criteria for negligence. The emphasis on "reasonable level of care" underscores the idea that individuals are not held to a standard of perfection but rather to what is considered acceptable behavior under the circumstances. This assessment often involves determining whether a person's actions align with those of an ordinarily prudent person faced with the same situation.

The other options represent different legal concepts that do not align with the definition of negligence. A deliberate act of harming another pertains to intentional torts, while the intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation involve specific wrongful acts directed at individuals for defined purposes. These terms do not capture the essence of negligence, which is inherently about unintentional harm due to carelessness or inaction.