forgetful

American  

[fer-get-fuhl] / fərˈgɛt fəl /

adjective

1. apt to forget; that forgets.

   a forgetful person.

   Synonyms:

   unmindful, inattentive, absent-minded

2. heedless or neglectful (often followed byof ).

   to be forgetful of others.

3. bringing on oblivion.

   forgetful slumber.

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forgetful British  

/ fəˈɡɛtfʊl /

adjective

1. tending to forget

2. inattentive (to) or neglectful (of)

3. poetic causing loss of memory

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Other Word Forms

• forgetfully adverb
• forgetfulness noun
• quasi-forgetful adjective
• quasi-forgetfully adverb
• unforgetful adjective
• unforgetfully adverb
• unforgetfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of forgetful

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

Example Sentences

That luxury has, I fear, made us forgetful.

From Los Angeles Times

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

“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