FORGETFUL Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

forgetful

adjective

fər-ˈget-fəl

Definition of forgetful

as in preoccupied

inclined to forget what one has learned or to do what one should we become more forgetful as we get older

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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 What are the most forgetful cities? — Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 June 2026 Ranking above Chicago as most forgetful cities are Miami and New York. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 2 June 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 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 See All Example Sentences for forgetful

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgetful

Adjective

But for kids, restricting certain foods may lead them to become preoccupied with those foods.

— Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 1 Nov. 2026
Just ask anyone who published on Tuesday, 9/11, or in the early months of COVID-19, only to see the product of their heart and labor disappear into a preoccupied world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of preoccupied

Adjective

Here’s the feckless poor, here’s the striving poor, here’s the oblivious cheerful poor, here’s the drug addict, here’s the drunk.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
Confident in the safety of their compound, Andrew and the soldiers were oblivious to the boy’s bad intentions.

— Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of oblivious

Adjective

The Heat awoke Tuesday as the NBA’s only 0-4 team and thoroughly bewildered about how a group that fashioned itself a contender could continue to perform so poorly.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Darren Foote, a fellow veteran who helped organize the festivities, told the BBC that Filer was somewhat bewildered by all the attention.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Browse Nearby Words

forget

forgetful

forgetfulness

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“Forgetful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgetful. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of forgetful

adjective

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