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self-forgetful

self-forgetful

1 7.6
To be so absorbed in something that you stop thinking about your needs
  • adjective
  • /sɛlf-fərˈɡɛtfəl/
: desinteresado
  • The teacher's self-forgetful dedication to her students was evident in her tireless commitment to their success.

Examples

  • She was self-forgetful in her care for the animals at the shelter, often ignoring her own needs.

  • He worked as a hungry dog ate, and yet he could play at croquet or cards with the self-forgetful exuberance of a little boy.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His self-forgetful nature made him an excellent volunteer, always prioritizing others over himself.

Antonyms

59 3.9

A person who is only interested in their own needs and not in other people's feelings

self-absorbed
  • Offensive
41 6.3

A person who thinks only about their own needs and not about other people

How Selfless

altruistic
23 6.7
self-forgetful
1 7.6
selfless
65 3.2
unselfish
18 2.0
selfish
492 1.0

Surface Forms

self-forgetful positive

Morphology

self-forgetful = forgetful (transparent) = self + forget + ful

The adjective is formed by adding the productive prefix 'self-' to the adjective 'forgetful', yielding the straightforward meaning 'forgetful of oneself'.

Etymology

The word self-forgetful joins self and forgetful, so it means 'forgetting oneself'. That's why a self-forgetful person is not thinking about themselves; they are so into an activity or helping others that they stop thinking about their own needs.