Forgotten

/fərˈɡɒtn/

adjectiveBeginner🔥Very CommonGeneral
2 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

No longer remembered; disregarded; overlooked.

/fərˈɡɒtn/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
General

Not remembered

He felt like a forgotten man, abandoned by his friends.

💡 Simply: It's like when you can't remember where you put your favorite toy. It's 'forgotten' until you find it!

👶 For kids: When you can't remember something, it's forgotten!

More Examples

2

The forgotten song played on the radio.

3

The city was a forgotten relic of the past.

How It's Used

General

"The forgotten key lay on the table."

Literary

"Her name, a forgotten echo in the halls of time."

2

Past participle of the verb 'forget'.

/fərˈɡɒtn/

verb (past participle)neutralBeginner
General

Past participle of 'forget'

I had forgotten my keys.

💡 Simply: This means that you haven't remembered something anymore. Like, you 'forgot' to eat your dessert and now it's gone!

👶 For kids: When you don't remember something, it's like your brain lost the memory!

More Examples

2

She had forgotten his birthday.

3

They had forgotten about the meeting.

How It's Used

General

"I had forgotten to bring my wallet."

Formal

"The details of the incident had been forgotten."

Tip:Think of something that you were supposed to do but didn't and you forgot about it.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Idioms & expressions

forgotten something

The state of failing to remember something.

"I had forgotten something important."

From Old English *forġietan* (to forget), past participle of *forġietan* (to forget), from Proto-Germanic *fragetaną*. Cognate with Dutch *vergeten*, German *vergessen*.

The word 'forgotten' has been used in English since the Old English period, reflecting a fundamental aspect of human experience: the loss of memory and the passage of time.

Memory tip

Think of a memory that's fading from your mind.

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"To fail to remember, to disregard"

forgotten memoryforgotten songforgotten keyforgotten pasteasily forgotten

Common misspellings

forgettenforgottin

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written