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.
After decades of feeling like the forgotten stepsisters of marketers, some CCOs are even moving up and into bigger roles that companies have long filled with finance and operations executives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
For Reed and De Maria, their fame was far more fleeting and their vital work seemingly forgotten.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
This is what an election ending feels like in a country that has not forgotten how to end an election.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 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
Grandpa laughed and said, “If you had forgotten those ribbons, neither one of us could have gone home.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
