self-forgetful

American  

[self-fer-get-fuhl, self-] / ˈsɛlf fərˈgɛt fəl, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. forgetful or not thinking of one's own advantage, interest, etc.

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self-forgetful British  

adjective

1. forgetful of one's own interests

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Other Word Forms

• self-forgetfully adverb
• self-forgetfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of self-forgetful

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The girl, momentarily self-forgetful, is absorbed in her process, “hunkered over her drawing pad, / humming, for an hour.”

From The New Yorker

Levé’s nonlinear stream of recollections about his friend denies the reader the self-forgetful pleasure of the traditional novel: that of entering another world, elaborate yet comprehensible.

From Salon

Both try to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful involvement through concentration, which, in turn, is made possible through discipline of body.”

From Forbes

He thrusts his hips quickly, his face expressing nothing but self-forgetful pleasure.

From Salon

There's a precision and inevitability of movement from line to line which seem self-forgetful.

From The Guardian