forgotten

[fer-got-n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR forgotten ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

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.

to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall: to forget someone's name.

to omit or neglect unintentionally: I forgot to shut the window before leaving.

to leave behind unintentionally; neglect to take: to forget one's keys.

to omit mentioning; leave unnoticed.

to fail to think of; take no note of.

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.

to cease or omit to think of something.

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. 2019

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

But even though he has been disappeared, Castro is not forgotten.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro
Bill Conroy
January 6, 2015
What often is forgotten—and what Beck could probably stand to remember—is that the massacre was, technically, a firefight.
Glenn Beck Is Now Selling Hipster Clothes. Really.
Ana Marie Cox
December 20, 2014
In the 54 years since they departed, Belgika has been forgotten by the outside world.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
The pyramids of Meroe await a day when stability will allow outsiders to peek at a forgotten ancient kingdom.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014
But because they are not forgotten, they cannot completely be abandoned.
The Straight Hero of Cameroon’s Gays
Jay Michaelson
December 10, 2014

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

a past participle of forget

forget

verb -gets, -getting or -got or -gotten or archaic, dialect -got

(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to fail to recall (someone or something once known); be unable to remember

(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to neglect, usually as the result of an unintentional error

(tr) to leave behind by mistake

(tr) to disregard intentionally

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to fail to mention

forget oneself

to act in an improper manner
to be unselfish
to be deep in thought

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

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.

Idioms and Phrases with forgotten

forget

In addition to the idiom beginning with forget

forget it
forget oneself

also see:

forgive and forget