oblivious
[ uh-bliv-ee-uh s ]
/ əˈblɪv i əs /
adjective
unmindful; unconscious; unaware (usually followed by of or to): She was oblivious of his admiration.
forgetful; without remembrance or memory: oblivious of my former failure.
Archaic. inducing forgetfulness.
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“Oblivious To” vs. “Oblivious Of”: Are You Using Them Correctly?Oblivious to and oblivious of can both be used the same way. You can generally pick one based on which sounds better in the context of the sentence. Essentially, they both mean that someone is unaware of something. Synonyms Oblivious to and oblivious of share a meaning with a number of phrases, like ignorant of, unaware of, unconscious of, and blind to. Similarly, it may …
RELATED WORDS
incapacity, darkness, unconsciousness, rawness, fog, unawareness, simplicity, innocence, vagueness, blindness, unfamiliarity, bewilderment, illiteracy, nescience, oblivion, dumbness, disregard, crudeness, sciolism, incomprehension
Nearby words
- obliterative,
- obliterative bronchitis,
- oblivescence,
- obliviate,
- oblivion,
- oblong,
- oblongata,
- oblongly,
- obloquial,
- obloquy
Origin of oblivious
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin oblīviōsus forgetful, equivalent to oblīvī(scī) to for-get + -ōsus -ous
Synonym study
2. See absent-minded.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for obliviousness
oblivious
/ (əˈblɪvɪəs) /
adjective
(foll by to or of) unaware or forgetful
usage
It was formerly considered incorrect to use oblivious to mean unaware, but this use is now acceptable
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
oblivious
mid-15c., from Latin obliviosus "forgetful, that easily forgets; producing forgetfulness," from oblivion (see oblivion). Meaning "unaware, unconscious (of something)" is from 1862, formerly regarded as erroneous, this is now the general meaning and the word has lost its original sense of "no longer aware or mindful." Properly should be used with to, not of. Related: Obliviously; obliviousness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper