FORGETTING Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

forgetting 1 of 3

adjective

as in forgetful

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forgetting

2 of 3

noun

as in ignoring

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Dissimilar Words

forgetting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of forget

as in missing

to be unable to recall or think of I forget exactly on which street that the house is

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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as in shirking

to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness he forgot the pot boiling on the stove

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as in failing

to miss the opportunity or obligation I forgot to call on his birthday

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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 forgetting

Noun

How else to understand the Winston experience except as a forgetting, a perpetual letting go? — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 Which things are normal forgetting, associated with aging, and which things are signs of trouble? — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026 That deliberate forgetting, combined with famine, stripped the baiji of protection. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 The Kennedy Center should be a living national institution, for a nation that cannot renew its inheritance will soon have nothing to inherit but its own forgetting. — Frank Porcu, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 Automatically Delete Unneeded Safety Data Build safety systems with deliberate forgetting. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026 But the situation in the country remains dire, and the collective forgetting of the United States’ longest war carries costs of its own. — Laurel Miller, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026 Rather than presenting memory as a complete record of the past, Fragments of Remembering explores the space between remembering and forgetting. — Photovogue, Vogue, 2 July 2026 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

Verb

That terrible scenario that doesn't easily fade definitely caused everyone to believe Quinn was at it again on Monday night – messing up again, forgetting that the last play was fourth down instead of third down. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Selling the future without forgetting the past That loyalty matters especially now. — Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026 There are, after all, different ways of forgetting and moving on. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 After a time, the normal chitchat and easiness of the room returned like a wound closing, the girls forgetting her intrusion. — Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 Instead of displaying their trademark hunger Sunday, the Dodgers had an air of entitlement, failing to do the little things, forgetting to show that fear that got them here. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 How many of those handoffs involve a human summarizing, paraphrasing or simply forgetting the original signal? — Stu Sjouwerman, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 This story does not suggest that reconciliation requires forgetting the past or excusing harmful choices. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 Forgetting the Walls One common mistake in entryway design is forgetting about the walls. — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for forgetting

Adjective

Reagan was forgetful but not necessarily cognitively impaired, Darman said.

— Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
However, his wife knew that her husband was a very forgetful man.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of forgetful

Noun

Strategic ignoring begins with recognizing that attention is not an unlimited asset, but a leadership resource.

— Nick Leighton, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of ignoring

Verb

What was missing was the physical reorganization of factories.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
His raspy voice, his beard, his missing finger and the cadence of his speech have been fixtures of Brazilian public life since Brazil’s first direct presidential election after the dictatorship ended in 1985.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of missing

Verb

The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Authorities learned that her company, which claimed to provide supervised personal care for adults in need throughout five homes in Tarrant County, was actually abusing and neglecting clients and committing fraud.

— S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of neglecting

Verb

Members overwhelmingly voted to authorize the strike earlier this month, accusing the state of failing to bargain in good faith after their contract expired in June.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
In his first year in office, he was called out by reporters for failing to hold regular press briefings.

— Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of failing

Adjective

An employee was unaware of testing sanitizer for the ware washing sink.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Communication breakdowns may leave patients unaware of available services, while a lack of referrals can keep them from receiving needed care.

— Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of unaware

Noun

The definition further added that neglect should involve blatant disregard of parental responsibilities resulting in a real, significant and imminent risk of harm to the child.

— Jennifer L. Brinkley, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
The film, based on interviews with 24 anonymous members of Israeli military intelligence and soldiers, accuses Israel of callous disregard for Palestinian civilian life in its war in Gaza.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of disregard

Verb

Aside from briefly losing the seat for one term nearly a decade ago, Valadao has hung onto the seat.

— Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
For this year’s show at Compton Verney, Cadogan has taken inspiration from British people who’ve written to her about losing beloved trees in their own gardens, or public spaces.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of losing

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“Forgetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forgetting. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of forgetting

adjective

noun

verb

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