Definition

Verb Phrase: - To forget due to distraction or neglect: To fail to remember or to omit something because one's attention was diverted, preoccupied, or not properly focused on the matter. It implies a lapse in attention leading to forgetfulness.

Usage Examples

• Verb Phrase:
  • Tôi thật sự nhãng quên cuộc hẹn vì công việc bận rộn. (I truly forgot the appointment due to being preoccupied with busy work.)
  • Đừng nhãng quên nhiệm vụ chính của mình. (Don't neglect and forget your main task.)
  • Cô ấy nhãng quên không tắt đèn khi ra khỏi phòng. (She distractedly forgot to turn off the light when leaving the room.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase often carries a nuance of mild self-reproach or explanation, suggesting the forgetfulness was not entirely deliberate but a result of inattention.
• It can be used to describe forgetting routines or minor obligations due to a temporary shift in focus.

Variants and Related Words

• Nhãng (v): To neglect, to be inattentive to. This is the root verb implying distraction or diversion of attention.

  • Anh ấy đã nhãng việc học. (He has neglected his studies.)

• Lãng quên (v): To forget, to obliviate. This is a more general and common term for forgetting, often with a connotation of something fading from memory over time, not necessarily due to immediate distraction.

  • Thời gian đã khiến họ lãng quên ký ức đau buồn. (Time has made them forget the painful memory.)

Synonyms

• To overlook: To fail to notice or consider something.
• To neglect: To fail to care for or give proper attention to.
• To omit: To leave out or exclude, often unintentionally.

Related Idioms

• Đầu voi đuôi chuột: Literally "elephant's head, mouse's tail"; meaning to start something with great enthusiasm but then neglect or forget to finish it properly. This idiom relates to the concept of in the context of not following through.
  • Kế hoạch của anh ta cứ đầu voi đuôi chuột vì hay nhãng quên. (His plans always start big and end small because he often gets distracted and forgets.)