obliviousness

American  

[uh-bliv-ee-uhs-nis] / əˈblɪv i əs nɪs /

noun

1. the fact or state of being unconscious, unaware, or unmindful.

   Her utter obliviousness to her own lack of personal hygiene was the most remarkable thing about her.

2. the fact or state of being without remembrance of something; forgetfulness.

   Obliviousness to our past errors, and lack of resolve about our future action, are keeping us from moving forward.

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Other Word Forms

• semiobliviousness
  noun
• unobliviousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of obliviousness

First recorded in 1525–35; oblivious ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Identifying behaviors that make us recoil, like self-absorption and obliviousness, requires an ironic amount of self-reflection.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2023

Someday this chapter may be viewed as fascinating for its obliviousness and, from a public relations standpoint, its recklessness.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2023

Throughout the book, Guns skewers the obliviousness of the privileged.

From Washington Post • Feb. 28, 2023

And in one of the film’s slyer jokes, the hip-hop song “White Boy Summer” by their son Chet Hanks is used to personify a certain kind of clueless obliviousness in others.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2022

I was choking on guilt and memories and my own obliviousness.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows