forgetful
Prone to blanking
Forgetful describes someone prone to forgetting things—names, appointments, where they put their keys.
The word suggests a pattern rather than a single lapse: She's gotten more forgetful with age.
Forgetful can also mean neglectful or inattentive: forgetful of his duties, forgetful of the risks.
Inattentive, prone to mistakes
- irresponsibleLacking sense of duty
- remissNeglectful of duty
- heedlessCareless of consequences
- negligentFailing in due care
lax · derelict · unmindful · slack · sloppy · indifferent · apathetic · dismissive
Lacking mental focus
- distractedUnable to concentrate
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- spaceyAbsent-minded, unfocused
- unfocusedWithout clear direction
dreamy · inattentive · disorganized · vague · woolgathering · flaky · airheaded · bemused
Pathological loss of recall
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer'sDegenerative brain disease
- senilityAge-related mental decline
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
blackout · oblivion · blankness · oversight · slip · gap · fade · repression
Group pardon from authorities
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
leniency · indulgence · grace · forgiveness · forbearance · overlooking · magnanimous · bygones
careless
Inattentive, prone to mistakes
- irresponsibleLacking sense of duty
- remissNeglectful of duty
- heedlessCareless of consequences
negligent · lax · derelict · unmindful · slack · sloppy · indifferent · apathetic · dismissive · unconcerned
scatterbrained
Lacking mental focus
- distractedUnable to concentrate
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- spaceyAbsent-minded, unfocused
unfocused · dreamy · inattentive · disorganized · vague · woolgathering · flaky · airheaded · bemused · distrait
amnesia
Pathological loss of recall
- dementiaChronic cognitive impairment
- Alzheimer'sDegenerative brain disease
- senilityAge-related mental decline
lapse · blackout · oblivion · blankness · oversight · slip · gap · fade · repression · suppression
amnesty
Group pardon from authorities
- clemencyMerciful treatment of offenders
- absolutionFormal clearing of guilt
- pardonOfficial release from punishment
mercy · leniency · indulgence · grace · forgiveness · forbearance · overlooking · magnanimous · bygones
- absent-minded professormessy desk, wild hair, lost keys, mismatched socks, scatterbrained
- age descriptorsaged, elderly, old, young, youthful
- burnoutburned out, burnt out, burn out, burning out, burnout
- intellectintelligence, intellect, brainpower, mind, cognition
- mental statesknowledge, conscious, mood, anxious, memory
- category theorycategory, object, adjunction, adjoint, limit
forgetfulretentive
Able to hold information
remembering · unforgetting · well-versed · photographic · elephantine
forgetfulconscientious
Scrupulously careful and thorough
reliable · dependable · careful · thoughtful · prudent