forgotten
Americanverb
verb
Usage
See forget.
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
By the time I loaded half the table into my car, I had forgotten all about my plan to negotiate.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
In the decades that followed, Field would lose his fortune to several Wall Street scams, dying in 1892 poor and largely forgotten.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
The list includes categories for the most unique items lost, the most commonly forgotten items, the most forgetful cities, yearly trends, and others.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
The guarantee clause has a long but often forgotten history linked to the pursuit of inclusive democracy.
From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026
Like she’d discovered him, a relic hidden away in the corners of this forgotten café.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
