to dedicate / devote
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to devote oneself
To give one's time and attention to a person, task, or matter. One consciously and often intensively concentrates on something.
Nach der Arbeit widmet er sich ganz seiner Familie.
After work, he devotes himself entirely to his family.
The two meanings are easy to distinguish. If the verb is used reflexively with 'sich' (oneself), it means to direct one's time and attention toward something. Without 'sich' (oneself), it almost always means to dedicate a work to someone.
Er widmet sich voll und ganz seiner Forschung.
He devotes himself completely to his research.
The verb 'widmen' (to dedicate/devote) belongs to a more formal or literary style of language. It expresses a high degree of concentration, dedication, or affection and therefore sounds weightier than everyday verbs.
Die Ärztin widmete ihr ganzes Leben dem Kampf gegen die Krankheit.
The doctor devoted her entire life to the fight against the disease.
In this meaning, the verb is reflexive and requires a dative object. The structure is: `sich (accusative) + einer Sache (dative) widmen` (to devote oneself to something). The thing one concentrates on is therefore in the dative.
Am Wochenende möchte ich mich endlich dem Garten widmen.
This weekend I finally want to devote myself to the garden.
When dedicating a work, 'widmen' (to dedicate) needs two objects. The person is in the dative and the work is in the accusative. The sentence pattern is: `jemandem (dative) etwas (accusative) widmen` (to dedicate something to someone).
Die Band widmete den Song ihren treuen Fans.
The band dedicated the song to their loyal fans.
to neglect
'sich widmen' and 'vernachlässigen' are clear opposites here. When you 'sich einer Person, Aufgabe oder Sache widmen', you deliberately give that person, task, or matter time and attention. When you 'vernachlässigen' someone or something, you take too little care of them or fail to pay attention to an important task. 'sich widmen' often sounds positive and focused. 'vernachlässigen' shows that something is not getting enough attention or is not being done. Put simply: if you 'sich etwas widmen', you take care of it; if you 'es vernachlässigen', you leave it undone.
Nach der Arbeit widmet sich Lena eine Stunde ihrer Bewerbung.
After work, Lena devotes an hour to her application.
Wenn du nur für die Prüfung lernst, vernachlässigst du vielleicht deine Gesundheit.
If you only study for the exam, you may neglect your health.