Meanings
comparative more forgetful · superlative most forgetful · alternative forgetfull
- Unable to remember things well; liable to forget.
Nor has Dalua part or mention in the antique legend. Like other ancient things, this divinity hath come secretly upon us in a forgetful time, new and strange and terrible, though his unremembered shadow crossed our way when first we set out on our long travel, in the youth of the world.
1912, William Sharp, Elizabeth Amelia Sharp, Poems and Dramas, William Heinemann, page 315
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
adjectivefailing to keep in mind
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle English*forgetful
- Englishforgetful
From Middle English *forgetful, *forȝetful (suggested by derivative forgetfulnesse, forȝetfulnesse (“forgetfulness”)), equivalent to forget + -ful.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek λήθᾱργος, ἐπιλήσμων
- λήθᾱργος (lḗthārgos)liable to forget
- ἐπιλήσμων (epilḗsmōn)liable to forget
Arabic نَسَّاء, نَسِيّ
- نَسَّاء (nassāʔ)liable to forget
- نَسِيّ (nasiyy)liable to forget
Bulgarian забравящ, разсеян
- забравящ (zabravjašt)liable to forget
- разсеян (razsejan)liable to forget
Catalan oblidadís, oblidós
- oblidadísliable to forget
- oblidósliable to forget
Chinese Mandarin 健忘, 丟三落四 /丢三落四
- 健忘 (jiànwàng)liable to forget
- 丟三落四 /丢三落四 (diūsānlàsì)liable to forget
Czech zapomnětlivý
- zapomnětlivýliable to forget
Danish glemsom
- glemsomliable to forget
Dutch vergeetachtig
- vergeetachtigliable to forget
Finnish huonomuistinen
- huonomuistinenliable to forget
French oublieux
- oublieuxliable to forget
German vergesslich
- vergesslichliable to forget
Hindi भुलक्कड
- भुलक्कड (bhulakkaḍ)liable to forget
Hungarian feledékeny
- feledékenyliable to forget
Indonesian pelupa, pikun
- pelupaliable to forget
- pikunliable to forget
Irish dearmadach
- dearmadachliable to forget
Italian smemorato
- smemoratoliable to forget
Japanese 忘れっぽい
- 忘れっぽい (wasureppoi)liable to forget
Latin oblīviōsus, immemor
- oblīviōsusliable to forget
- immemorliable to forget
Latvian aizmāršīgs, aizmirsīgs
- aizmāršīgsliable to forget
- aizmirsīgsliable to forget
Māori wareware, māhungawai
- warewareliable to forget
- māhungawailiable to forget
Norwegian glemsom
- glemsomliable to forget
Polish zapominalski
- zapominalskiliable to forget
Portuguese esquecido, esquecidiço
- esquecidoliable to forget
- esquecidiçoliable to forget
- esquecediçoliable to forget
Romanian uituc
- uitucliable to forget
Russian забы́вчивый
- забы́вчивый (zabývčivyj)liable to forget
Spanish olvidadizo, desmemoriado
- olvidadizoliable to forget
- desmemoriadoliable to forget
- olvidadero (disused)liable to forget
Swedish glömsk
- glömskliable to forget
Turkish unutkan
- unutkanliable to forget
Ukrainian забу́дькуватий
- забу́дькуватий (zabúdʹkuvatyj)liable to forget
Urdu بُھلَکَّڑ
- بُھلَکَّڑ (bhulakkaṛ)liable to forget
Welsh anghofus
- anghofusliable to forget
Cite this entry
forgetful. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgetful
“forgetful.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgetful. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forgetful,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forgetful.
Source: forgetful on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.