as in forgetful
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Dissimilar Words
as in ignoring
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in missing
to be unable to recall or think of
I forget exactly on which street that the house is
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in neglecting
to fail to give proper attention to
she promised not to forget her high school friends after she went off to college
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shirking
to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness
he forgot the pot boiling on the stove
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in failing
to miss the opportunity or obligation
I forgot to call on his birthday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forgetting
Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
For example, in learning contexts, adaptive forgetting, or the ability to let go of irrelevant information, can actually improve cognitive performance overall.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
This comes at a time of wider forgetting.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
In an age of fast fading and faster forgetting, that message - stitched into every uneven hem - remains radical.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
In this arrangement, even if one learner suffers from catastrophic forgetting, the cognitive radio can still function.
—Sven Bilén, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2020
Andy Jones, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The forgetting here is something of a dangerous metaphor that anthropomorphizes subatomic particles which have no consciousness.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Reasons range from patients forgetting to take multiple drugs, to costs, to symptoms of statin intolerance such as muscle and joint pains.
—David Cox, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Most notable was a video for a country-style song about gaining wisdom and then completely forgetting what that wisdom was.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Black, naturally, also sings a verse about forgetting the wise words of a man in the Tibetan mountains because he was distracted by a terse text from his wife.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Apr. 2026
As first impressions go, this was the equivalent of forgetting a date’s name, checking the phone while ordering, and deciding to talk religion and politics over dessert.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
After forgetting to pack the right type of adapter and scrambling to charge my devices, the Epicka Air International Adapter now has a permanent place in my tech bag.
—Jamie Davis Smith, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026
Yet my body, driven by the determination to bring this project to fruition, never stopped moving, forgetting to rest.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
His quest to reclaim the power of writing becomes an inner journey between memory and forgetting, between a lost language and a new one, where human, emotion and meaning must be recreated anew.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
For example, in learning contexts, adaptive forgetting, or the ability to let go of irrelevant information, can actually improve cognitive performance overall.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
This comes at a time of wider forgetting.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
In an age of fast fading and faster forgetting, that message - stitched into every uneven hem - remains radical.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
In this arrangement, even if one learner suffers from catastrophic forgetting, the cognitive radio can still function.
—Sven Bilén, IEEE Spectrum, 23 July 2020
Verb
An important starting point would be not forgetting the basics — something that has been the concerning theme of this season.
—Andy Jones, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
The forgetting here is something of a dangerous metaphor that anthropomorphizes subatomic particles which have no consciousness.
—Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
Reasons range from patients forgetting to take multiple drugs, to costs, to symptoms of statin intolerance such as muscle and joint pains.
—David Cox, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Most notable was a video for a country-style song about gaining wisdom and then completely forgetting what that wisdom was.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Black, naturally, also sings a verse about forgetting the wise words of a man in the Tibetan mountains because he was distracted by a terse text from his wife.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Apr. 2026
As first impressions go, this was the equivalent of forgetting a date’s name, checking the phone while ordering, and deciding to talk religion and politics over dessert.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026
After forgetting to pack the right type of adapter and scrambling to charge my devices, the Epicka Air International Adapter now has a permanent place in my tech bag.
—Jamie Davis Smith, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026
Yet my body, driven by the determination to bring this project to fruition, never stopped moving, forgetting to rest.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgetting
Adjective
-
Marty is self-absorbed, forgetful, doesn’t much like people and spends hours online looking for advice about how to be a handyman.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 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
Noun
-
Addressing Modern Behavior Patterns Verification tools such as these address behavior patterns such as preemptive ignoring, digital curiosity, and selective responsiveness, all of which have become more common in recent years.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The MorphoScan is even missing a couple of quality-of-life features present on the Etekcity scale, including a safe mode for pregnant women and pacemaker users that disables the BIA electrical current for weight-only measurements.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Before the opening faceoff there was a tribute to Vancouver native Evander Kane, who returned to the lineup to play his 1,001st game after missing the last two games with an undisclosed injury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another frequent issue is neglecting the upper back, allowing the shoulders to collapse.—
Christa Sgobba,
Health,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The consequences of neglecting the workforce side of AI aren’t hypothetical.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Making an actual charge is another as Saturday showed with several players getting close to Coughlin, but failing to make up the difference.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
His administration’s handling of the Iran war — from killing scores of schoolchildren based on outdated intelligence to failing to prepare for the closing of the Strait of Hormuz — is just the latest example of its systemic, and deadly, incompetence.—
James Speyer,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Around the time of her daughter Moriah's murder in 2022 about 2000 miles away in Austin, Karen Wilson, unaware of the tragedy unfolding, read a poem about hope.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
But Robert Matthew Garner was unaware that the inmate was also communicating with Porter County Sheriff’s investigators, a probable cause statement says.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As elsewhere in Australia, disregard of Indigenous landrights triggered unrest within the Aboriginal communities, namely the Bindjareb people of the Noongar Nation, who had lived in the region for more than 40,000 years.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The exploitation of the American people and the blatant disregard for our well-being has reached unprecedented levels.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Freshman Keaton Wagler had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Illini (28-9), who reached their first Final Four since losing the championship game to North Carolina in 2005.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Vásquez didn’t factor in the decision after a defensive miscue led to the bullpen briefly losing the lead, but the emerging starting pitcher danced in and out of trouble in keeping the Red Sox at bay on an evening in which the wind chill dropped the temperature into the high 20s.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forgetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgetting. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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