What does "forgetfulness" mean?
Forgetfulness: Loss of remembrance or recollection; a ceasing to remember; oblivion. A sweet forgetfulness of human care. Pope.
Additional senses
- 2.Failure to bear in mind; careless omission; inattention; as, forgetfulness of duty. Forgetfulness is Anglo-Saxon, and oblivion is Latin. The former commonly has reference to persons, and marks a state of mind, and marks a state of mind; the latter commonly has reference to things, and indicates a condition into which they are sunk. We blame a man for his forgetfulness; we speak of some old custom as buried in oblivion. But this discrimination is not strictly adhered to.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00