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definitions

forgotten

[fer-got-n]
See more synonyms for forgotten on Thesaurus.com
verb
  1. a past participle of forget.
Related formshalf-for·got·ten, adjectivequa·si-for·got·ten, adjectiveun·for·got·ten, adjectivewell-for·got·ten, adjective

forget

[fer-get]
verb (used with object), for·got or (Archaic) for·gat; for·got·ten or for·got; for·get·ting.
  1. to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall: to forget someone's name.
  2. to omit or neglect unintentionally: I forgot to shut the window before leaving.
  3. to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take: to forget one's keys.
  4. to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.
  5. to fail to think of; take no note of.
  6. to neglect willfully; disregard or slight.
verb (used without object), for·got or (Archaic) for·gat; for·got·ten or for·got; for·get·ting.
  1. to cease or omit to think of something.
Idioms
  1. forget oneself, to say or do something improper or unbefitting one's rank, position, or character.

Origin of forget

before 900; for- + get; replacing Middle English foryeten, Old English forg(i)etan; cognate with Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan
Related formsfor·get·ta·ble, adjectivefor·get·ter, nounun·for·get·ting, adjective

Usage note

Both forgot and forgotten are used as the past participle of forget : Many have already forgot (or forgotten ) the hard times of the Depression. Only forgotten is used attributively: half-forgotten memories.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for forgotten

gone, abandoned, lost, omitted, obliterated, lapsed, buried, repressed, suppressed, bygone, past, unremembered

Examples from the Web for forgotten

Contemporary Examples of forgotten

Historical Examples of forgotten

  • In the midst of this generosity, the services of Geta and Milza were not forgotten.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • He tried to recall some forgotten detail of the business that might serve to occupy him.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • Some books were in frequent use, but others were not forgotten.

    The Grand Old Man

    Richard B. Cook

  • His name, once the most familiar, was forgotten in the list of American bards.

    Biographical Sketches

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • It was not in Vavasor's usual taste: he had forgotten his best manners.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for forgotten

forgotten

verb
  1. a past participle of forget

forget

verb -gets, -getting or -got or -gotten or archaic, dialect -got
  1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember
  2. (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error
  3. (tr) to leave behind by mistake
  4. (tr) to disregard intentionally
  5. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention
  6. forget oneself
    1. to act in an improper manner
    2. to be unselfish
    3. to be deep in thought
  7. forget it! an exclamation of annoyed or forgiving dismissal of a matter or topic
Derived Formsforgettable, adjectiveforgetter, noun

Word Origin for forget

Old English forgietan; related to Old Frisian forgeta, Old Saxon fargetan, Old High German firgezzan
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for forgotten
adj.

early 15c., past participle adjective from forget.

forget

v.

Old English forgietan, from for-, used here with negative force, "away, amiss, opposite" + gietan "to grasp" (see get). To "un-get," hence "to lose" from the mind. A common Germanic construction (cf. Old Saxon fargetan, Old Frisian forjeta, Dutch vergeten, Old High German firgezzan, German vergessen "to forget"). The literal sense would be "to lose (one's) grip on," but that is not recorded in any Germanic language. Related: Forgetting; forgot; forgotten.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with forgotten

forget

In addition to the idiom beginning with forget

  • forget it
  • forget oneself

also see:

  • forgive and forget
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.