forgetful

adjective

fər-ˈget-fəl How to pronounce forgetful (audio)
Definition of forgetfulnext
as in preoccupied
inclined to forget what one has learned or to do what one should we become more forgetful as we get older

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forgetful This woman—my cat-loving, sometimes forgetful, always generous Mimi—wasn’t just full of desire but also of the confidence to claim it. — Literary Hub, 10 Mar. 2026 In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates worries that books, unlike oral traditions, will make people more forgetful. — Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 3 Mar. 2026 Meanwhile, Wilson’s wife shared a meme appearing to compare MacInnes to Dory, the forgetful fish in the Pixar movies, and this was submitted to the court. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026 What also follows is a useless debate over the cultural impact of the movie amid concerns that the film is a little loose with the truth or outright forgetful about key moments of Jackson’s complex and complicated life. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for forgetful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgetful
  1. preoccupied
  2. confused
  3. absentminded
  4. oblivious
  5. bewildered
Adjective
  • Yet in an era increasingly defined by digital abstraction and impermanence, fashion designers are newly preoccupied with the tangible and historic.
    — Emmanuel Olunkwa, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2026
  • Unfortunately, the actor was a little preoccupied with another franchise.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026
Definition of preoccupied
Adjective
  • In Timon, by contrast, everything is a rush, everything is broke-off and confused, everything is hurtling through suffering towards oblivion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • But when non-negotiable tasks are framed as questions, children can become confused about whether the task is actually optional.
    — Siggie Cohen, CNBC, 4 July 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • Howard McNear provided an indelible bit of local flavor as the genial, if absent-minded, town barber, Floyd.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 June 2026
  • There’s something winningly absent-minded about Gosling’s performance here.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 20 Mar. 2026
Definition of absentminded
Adjective
  • But for another two and a half years, it’s stuck with a boss who often seems oblivious to customer concerns.
    — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The Street loves the latter model, the public loves the former, and is oblivious to the dichotomy.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 June 2026
Definition of oblivious
Adjective
  • Fido was fine, if a little bewildered, and in February 1973, the board lifted its book bans.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
Definition of bewildered

Browse Nearby Words

forget
forgetful
forgetfulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forgetful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgetful. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on forgetful

Nglish: Translation of forgetful for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All