oblivious, forgetful

oblivious, forgetful
Oblivious means "unaware," "unmindful," "lacking memory of something." Forgetful implies a faulty memory or a tendency not to remember. Oblivious stresses unawareness, unresponsiveness, and inattentiveness."Jackie was totally oblivious of her surroundings." "Because I was forgetful, I left the percolator plugged in all afternoon." Oblivious has been broadened in meaning to include unconsciousness: "In a deep coma, Betsy was oblivious to the world." (Oblivious may be followed by to or of.) In most instances, forgetful is preferable, because more readily understandable, to oblivious in the senses of "bemused," "abstracted," "unaware," and even "absent-minded."

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • oblivious — *forgetful, unmindful Analogous words: disregarding, ignoring, forgetting, neglecting, overlooking (see NEGLECT vb) Contrasted words: *aware, conscious, cognizant: *thoughtful, attentive, considerate: alert, vigilant, *watchful …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • forgetful — See oblivious. See oblivious, forgetful …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • oblivious — See oblivious, forgetful …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • forgetful — forgetful, oblivious, unmindful are comparable when they mean losing or letting go from one s mind something once known or learned. Forgetful usually implies a propensity not to remember or a defective memory {bear with me, good boy, I am much… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Forgetful — For*get ful, a. 1. Apt to forget; easily losing remembrance; as, a forgetful man should use helps to strengthen his memory. [1913 Webster] 2. Heedless; careless; neglectful; inattentive. [1913 Webster] Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Heb …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Oblivious — Ob*liv i*ous, a. [L. obliviosus: cf. F. oblivieux.] [1913 Webster] 1. Promoting oblivion; causing forgetfulness. The oblivious pool. Milton. [1913 Webster] She lay in deep, oblivious slumber. Longfellow. [1913 Webster] 2. Evincing oblivion;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • oblivious — The historical meaning of oblivious is ‘forgetful, unmindful’, followed by of: • Never before…has a great painter been completely oblivious of the style, or styles, of his time Kenneth Clark, 1949. This meaning survives, but another meaning,… …   Modern English usage

  • forgetful — index careless, lax, oblivious, remiss Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • forgetful — [adj] tending to not remember absent, absent minded, abstracted, airheaded*, amnemonic, amnesic, asleep on the job*, bemused, careless, distracted, dreamy, heedless, inattentive, lax, like an absent minded professor*, looking out window*, mooning …   New thesaurus

  • oblivious — I adjective absent, absentminded, absorbed, abstracted, blank, careless, distracted, dreamy, faraway, forgetful, heedless, immemor, inattentive, inconsiderate, indifferent, insensible, mindless, neglectful, negligent, obliviosus, overlooking,… …   Law dictionary

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