What does forgetfully mean?
Forgetfully means in a forgetful or inattentive manner. It is the adverb form of forgetful and is used to describe behaviour that fails to remember, notice, or attend to something properly. For example, someone who leaves a document at home may have done so forgetfully, while a person who ignores a warning may have acted forgetfully in a broader sense of negligence. The word is not extremely common and can sound somewhat literary, especially when it appears in descriptive or narrative writing. Its connotations range from harmless absent-mindedness to more serious carelessness, depending on the circumstances. Although related to the familiar verb forget, forgetfully is chiefly used to characterize the manner of an action rather than simply reporting the act of forgetting itself.
adverbIn a forgetful or inattentive manner; with a tendency to forget or omit things.
- In a forgetful, inattentive, or negligent manner.
"He left the keys at the office, forgetfully and without apology."
"She had packed forgetfully and left the passport at home."
"The old clock had been wound forgetfully and stopped during the night."
Forgetfully captures the moment when carelessness turns into a consequence.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does forgetfully come from?
Forgetfully derives from the adjective forgetful, which is formed from the English verb forget. The underlying verb comes from Old English forgietan, meaning to fail to remember or lose the memory of something. The adjective forgetful has long been used for people or things prone to forgetting, while the adverb forgetfully developed from it in the usual English pattern of forming adverbs from adjectives. Related forms include forgetfulness, a noun meaning the condition or quality of being forgetful.
Related word forms
How forgetfully is actually used
Forgetfully is relatively uncommon and has a slightly literary or formal tone. It can suggest simple absent-mindedness or, depending on context, carelessness and neglect.
Easily confused with forgetfully
Forgetful is an adjective describing someone or something that has a tendency to forget, while forgetfully is an adverb describing how someone acts.