Forgettability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of something being easily forgotten or lacking lasting memory
2. A characteristic describing how quickly information or experiences fade from memory
3. The degree to which a person, event, or thing fails to remain in one's memory over time

Etymology: "Forgettability" is a plain English formation: the verb "forget" with the suffix "-ability," which turns adjectives like "readable" or "adaptable" into nouns meaning the quality of being able to be done or undergone. Here "forgettable," meaning easy to forget, is the adjective that gets the suffix, and the noun names the quality of being forgettable. The suffix does most of the work. "-able" traces back through French to Latin "-abilis," which attached to verb stems to mean "capable of being," and English later paired it with "-ity" to form nouns. The pattern is so productive that writers can coin new forms on the fly, and "forgettability" is a good example of a term that is easy to understand on first hearing even if no one remembers encountering it before.

Synonyms: oblivion, unrememberability

Antonyms: memorability, noteworthiness