forgetful

[ fer-get-fuhl ]

adjective

1. apt to forget; that forgets:

   a forgetful person.

   Synonyms: unmindful, inattentive, absent-minded

2. heedless or neglectful (often followed by of ):

   to be forgetful of others.

3. bringing on oblivion:

   forgetful slumber.

forgetful

/ fəˈɡɛtfʊl /

adjective

1. tending to forget
2. often postpositivefoll byof inattentive (to) or neglectful (of)
3. poetic.
   causing loss of memory

Derived Forms

• forˈgetfully, adverb
• forˈgetfulness, noun

Other Words From

• for·getful·ly adverb
• for·getful·ness noun
• quasi-for·getful adjective
• quasi-for·getful·ly adverb
• unfor·getful adjective
• unfor·getful·ly adverb
• unfor·getful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of forgetful¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; forget, -ful

Example Sentences

With each passing year, I see and hear the patient’s spiral of worry: Am I getting more forgetful?

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe he was wounded, misidentified, forgetful of who he was.

From Los Angeles Times

Many women talk about having "pregnancy brain" or "baby brain", to describe feeling forgetful, absent-minded or having brain fog.

From BBC

On paper, the show’s whimsical, forgetful hippie — whose bewildering backstory includes being part of a drug-fueled cult and being mauled to death by a bear in the woods — could easily come across as one-note.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s not just getting forgetful, but our risk tolerance changes,” said Lauren Hersch Nicholas, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who has studied dementia’s impact on people’s finances.

From New York Times

Related Words

• careless
• distracted
• inattentive
• sloppy