memory lapse
Momentary recall failure
A memory lapse is a temporary failure to recall something—a name, a word, where you put your keys.
The term implies a minor, momentary blank rather than serious cognitive decline: I had a memory lapse and forgot our anniversary.
Memory lapses become more common with age, stress, or distraction.
- forgetfulFailing to retain information
- blankWithout marks or content
- slipMinor error or misstep
- amnesiaPathological loss of recall
- blackoutComplete power loss
lost train of thought · slipped my mind · foggy · hazy · senior moment · on the tip of my tongue · blanking · absent-minded · brain fart · spacing out · fuzzy · gap · lost · forgotten · dementia · fleeting · fading · misremember
- expressions about forgetfulnessslipped my mind, drew a blank, blanked out, absentminded, mind like a sieve
- mental lapsesforget, slip, misplace, overlook, zone out
- mental blockwriter's block, brain freeze, blank, tip-of-the-tongue, mind blank
- Memory Lossamnesia, forgetting, forgetfulness, dementia, Alzheimer's
- self-deceptiondenial, delusion, wishful thinking, rationalization, willful blindness
- memory slipsforgotten name, brain freeze
memory lapsetotal recall
Complete, perfect remembrance
vivid memory · remembrance · photographic memory · recollection · eidetic memory
memory lapsemental acuity
Sharpness of thought
sharp mind · mental clarity · presence of mind · lucidity · clear-headedness
memory, lapse, memories, memorize, memorized, memorizing, memorization, memorial, memorials