- 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.
His first two books, “When Brooklyn Was Queer” and “The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison,” were magnets for awards and accolades.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
The Forgotten Flora project was started three years ago with the goal of reviving threatened plants in North Yorkshire and has led to the planting of thousands of lesser-known wildflower species.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 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
“And it’s my turn to pick. So this week’s Friday-night movie is Cave of Forgotten Dreams.”
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
