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Is there any word or phrase to describe a person who always feels rthat he has forgotten something even if he hasn't forgotten something really, while going out from somewhere? Example :-

Peter is a xxx as he always feels that he has forgotten something, whenever he goes out of his house.

What can be the replacement of xxx?

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6 Answers 6

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Peter is an athazagoraphobe:

Fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting.

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  • This is maybe the closest, so far, to what the OP asks for (who knows what was really meant), as it makes clear that the person is aware of the possibility (if not the certainty) of forgetfulness.
    – Drew
    Oct 1, 2015 at 3:28
  • Thanks this is what I wanted!!! +1 and accept.
    – Arjun
    Oct 1, 2015 at 10:49
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I'd call such a person absent minded or perhaps a scatterbrain if you need a noun.

"Peter is such a scatterbrain, he forgot his keys again this morning."

"Peter is so absent-minded, he forgot his keys again this morning."

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  • No. An absent-minded person does not necessarily always thinks that he has forgotten something. In fact, an absent-minded person might not even be aware that s?he is forgetful (absent-minded).
    – Drew
    Oct 1, 2015 at 1:34
  • @Drew, I am not saying that absent-minded means only this and nothing else. The phrase could mean someone who is unaware of their forgetfulness, but it also might not. The fact that the phrase could have another meaning does NOT make it incorrect.
    – barbecue
    Oct 1, 2015 at 2:05
  • Please reread the question. The question asks for what I quoted: "a person who always thinks that he has forgotten something".
    – Drew
    Oct 1, 2015 at 2:09
  • Please re-read my comment. A person who *always thinks" he has forgotten something could be called absent-minded. This does not mean that every person who is absent-minded must always think that. Unless you're being pedantic, there is no reason to infer that the OP literally means that absolutely every time, with never an exception, the person always believes he has forgotten something. If that's what the poster meant, he could perhaps clear this up for us, but assuming yours is the only correct interpretation is premature.
    – barbecue
    Oct 1, 2015 at 2:13
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    As @Drew suggests, we've got no reason to believe that Peter has ever, in fact, forgotten his keys. An absent-minded person almost certainly has.
    – JHCL
    Oct 1, 2015 at 10:50
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Peter is the anxious type. He always feels that he has forgotten something, whenever he goes out of his house.

anxious: full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune (Random-House Dictionary)

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  • Please explain in your own words why you think this is an appropriate answer.
    – tchrist ♦
    Oct 3, 2015 at 14:57
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It is one of the typical symtoms that an OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder person/patient shows.

There is no single word in English to describe such thing as it is not normal. Absent-minded or forgetful, etc. cannot pin-point the symtom.

You have to say, He has Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder where people feel the need to check things repeatedly, have certain thoughts repeatedly, or feel they need to perform certain routines repeatedly.

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I know it's not an exciting word, but just use "forgetful."

"Bob is a forgetful person."

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/forgetful

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    No. A forgetful person does not necessarily always thinks that he has forgotten something. In fact, a forgetful person might not even be aware that s?he is forgetful.
    – Drew
    Oct 1, 2015 at 1:35
  • @Drew fair enough (maybe). Post your own solution.
    – michael_timofeev
    Oct 1, 2015 at 1:38
  • I already posted a comment saying that I'm unaware of such an expression, and I doubt that there is one. But if someone comes up with one, we will all learn something. ;-)
    – Drew
    Oct 1, 2015 at 1:39
  • @Drew forgetful people can be aware that they forget things. Also, someone who is absentminded can be aware of this condition in themselves. What you are saying in general is that people who have a condition are not self aware.
    – michael_timofeev
    Oct 1, 2015 at 1:46
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    If I say "I'm always losing my keys" any reasonable person will recognize that I do not literally mean that at every moment in time, my keys are constantly in a state of becoming lost. It's very obvious that what I really mean is "frequently" or "commonly" in such a context.
    – barbecue
    Oct 1, 2015 at 2:15
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I would say absent-minded is most apt but paranoid would be suitable as well.

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