forgotten

American  

[fer-got-n] / fərˈgɒt n /

verb

1. a past participle of forget.

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forgotten British  

/ fəˈɡɒtən /

verb

1. a past participle of forget

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Usage

See forget.

Other Word Forms

• half-forgotten adjective
• quasi-forgotten adjective
• unforgotten adjective
• well-forgotten adjective

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

We had forgotten that our economic policies must reward success and ensure that no one is left behind in pursuing it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

She calls art the forgotten fifth pillar of health, alongside diet, exercise, nature and sleep.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Why are some performers remembered, and others forgotten?

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

But the strangely forgotten U.S. experience with North Korea suggests the alternatives were even riskier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“I hope you haven’t gone and bumped your head and forgotten everything.”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el