different between offhand vs forgetful

English

Alternative forms

• off-hand

Etymology

From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz. Equivalent to off- +? hand. Cognate with Icelandic afhendur. Compare onhand.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /??f?hænd/
• Rhymes: -ænd

Adjective

offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)

1. Without planning or thinking ahead.

2. Careless; without sufficient thought or consideration.

3. Curt, abrupt, unfriendly.

Synonyms

• (without planning): impromptu, extemporaneous, off-the-cuff; see also Thesaurus:impromptu

Translations

See also

• off the top of one's head

Adverb

offhand (comparative more offhand, superlative most offhand)

1. Right away, immediately, without thinking about it.
   • Offhand, I'd guess that that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker.
   • 1854, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Rose and the Ring:

     We will have no more of this shilly-shallying! Call the Archbishop, and let the Prince and Princess be married offhand!

2. In an offhand (adjective) manner.

Anagrams

• hand off, hand-off, handoff

English

Alternative forms

• forgetfull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English *forgetful, *for?etful (suggested by derivative forgetfulnesse, for?etfulnesse (“forgetfulness”)), equivalent to forget +? -ful.

Adjective

forgetful (comparative more forgetful, superlative most forgetful)

1. Unable to remember things well; liable to forget.
2. (mathematics) Dropping some of the input's structure or properties before producing an output.

   a forgetful mapping; a forgetful functor

Derived terms

• forgetfully
• forgetfulness

Translations