- past participle of forget.
forgotten
Americanverb
verb
Usage
See forget.
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Something that's forgotten isn't remembered or considered. Your forgotten mail might sit in the mailbox all weekend, if you simply don't think about it. Your English teacher might reassure you that the bad grade you got on a paper last month is forgotten, and you could find that as you start reading a great book, your difficult day is forgotten. In both cases, something is overlooked, disregarded or erased from memory. Forgotten comes from forget, from the Old English forgietan, "fail to remember" or "neglect inadvertently."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Baxter’s “The Forgotten World War” takes us, among other places, to the room at Versailles where Benjamin Franklin met with Count Charles Gravier de Vergennes, France’s foreign minister, in December 1776.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
I’ve always held a soft spot for the Forgotten Child types in fiction, which is easy enough since they’re usually the ones who are interesting enough to feature in TV series and movies.
From Salon • May 20, 2026
The Forgotten Children Initiative has already located the descendants of six of the buried children.
From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026
Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026
The tears she had shed while fleeing the Forgotten Chapel had been of shock and terror.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
