Meanings
- similevery poor memory
Oh, that's right. You said that yesterday, didn't you? I have a mind like a sieve.
Synonyms: memory like a sieve, brain like a sieve, head like a sieve · Antonyms: mind like a steel trap
Synonyms & antonyms
nounvery poor memory
Origin
Since a sieve has many holes, the thoughts in such a mind might be imagined to fall out.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish pää vuotaa kuin seula
- pää vuotaa kuin seulapoor memory
French mémoire de poisson rouge
- mémoire de poisson rougepoor memory
German ein Hirn wie ein Sieb haben, ein Gedächtnis wie ein Sieb haben
- ein Hirn wie ein Sieb habenpoor memory
- ein Gedächtnis wie ein Sieb habenpoor memory
Italian avere la memoria corta
- avere la memoria cortapoor memory
Latvian caura galva
- caura galvapoor memory
Polish dziurawa pamięć
- dziurawa pamięćpoor memory
Russian па́мять как решето́, голова́ дыря́вая
- па́мять как решето́ (pámjatʹ kak rešetó)poor memory
- голова́ дыря́вая (golová dyrjávaja)poor memory
Tagalog may buslong butas
- may buslong butaspoor memory
Cite this entry
mind like a sieve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mind%20like%20a%20sieve
“mind like a sieve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mind%20like%20a%20sieve. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mind like a sieve,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mind%20like%20a%20sieve.
Source: mind like a sieve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.