Definition of oblivious
1 : lacking remembrance, memory, or mindful attention
2 : lacking active conscious knowledge or awareness —usually used with of or to
obliviously
adverbobliviousness
nounExplore M-W
Examples of oblivious in a Sentence
They were pushing and shouting and oblivious to anyone not in their group. —P. J. O'Rourke, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 1996
Prentice looked up from his food, which he had been steadily shovelling in, completely oblivious of everyone. —Antonya Nelson, New Yorker, 9 Nov. 1992
Oblivious of any previous decisions not to stand together … , the three stood in a tight group … —Doris Lessing, The Good Terrorist, 1985
Father was oblivious to the man's speculative notice of his wife. —E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, 1974
She rested now, frankly and fairly, in the shelter of his arms, and both were oblivious to the gale that rushed past them in quicker and stronger blasts. —Jack London, Burning Daylight, 1910
the out-of-state motorist claimed to be oblivious of the local speed limit, even though the signs must have been hard to miss
Recent Examples of oblivious from the Web
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Yates is completely oblivious that Claire might have more important things to worry about than his feelings at the moment, and throws a minor tantrum, desperate for her attention.
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Joseph Dunn, a 12-year-old visitor from New York City, was swimming downstream in the creek, oblivious to the pandemonium a few miles inland.
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The corridor between the Veranda on 13 and the 14th fairway is also the home to thousands of fans, many of whom are oblivious to the fact that a PGA Tour event is going on mere feet from them.
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And the people running it are either too arrogant or too oblivious to even be cute about it.
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Even twenty-four hours after the act was done, Trump appears to have been oblivious to this danger.
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Once more, most of the crowd was oblivious to his presence.
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Of course, the idiotic pair is completely oblivious of his true professsion.
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Mr. Marshall, oblivious, continued to pose for the photographer.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oblivious'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How to Use Oblivious in a Sentence: does it go with 'of' or 'to'?
Oblivious usually has to do with not being conscious or aware of someone or something. When used with this meaning, it can be followed by either to or of:
The cat had crept in silently, and we were oblivious to its presence in the room.
There was no chance that anyone could be oblivious of the dog, though; it greeted everyone in the room with frisky leaps.
Oblivious can also have to do with forgetfulness, and when it's used this way, it is often followed by of (but not to):
The child had brought in a snake she'd discovered in the garden, oblivious of the promise she'd made to leave all found creatures outside.
Whatever meaning of oblivious you choose to use, the noun that correlates with this adjective is obliviousness:
Our obliviousness to the cat's presence in the room was quickly corrected by the dog's discovery of the cat under the chair.
The noun oblivion is related to both, of course, but it is not the noun form of oblivious.
Origin and Etymology of oblivious
see oblivion
OBLIVIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
oblivious
playDefinition of oblivious for English Language Learners
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: not conscious or aware of someone or something
OBLIVIOUS Defined for Kids
oblivious
playDefinition of oblivious for Students
: not being conscious or aware The boys were oblivious to the danger.
obliviously
adverbLearn More about oblivious
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See words that rhyme with oblivious Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for oblivious Spanish Central: Translation of oblivious Nglish: Translation of oblivious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of oblivious for Arabic speakers
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