diff --git a/library/core/src/intrinsics.rs b/library/core/src/intrinsics.rs
index 5292182269385..b8f08cce8afa9 100644
--- a/library/core/src/intrinsics.rs
+++ b/library/core/src/intrinsics.rs
@@ -838,8 +838,11 @@ extern "rust-intrinsic" {
 
     /// Moves a value out of scope without running drop glue.
     ///
-    /// This exists solely for [`mem::forget_unsized`]; normal `forget` uses
-    /// `ManuallyDrop` instead.
+    /// This is only strictly needed for [`mem::forget_unsized`]; normal [`mem::forget`]
+    /// compiles fine just using `ManuallyDrop` instead.
+    ///
+    /// As this does literally nothing, it's trivially const-safe.
+    #[rustc_const_stable(feature = "const_forget_intrinsic", since = "1.50")]
     pub fn forget<T: ?Sized>(_: T);
 
     /// Reinterprets the bits of a value of one type as another type.
diff --git a/library/core/src/mem/mod.rs b/library/core/src/mem/mod.rs
index e84014c68a676..05bc9027b3e4d 100644
--- a/library/core/src/mem/mod.rs
+++ b/library/core/src/mem/mod.rs
@@ -141,7 +141,16 @@ pub use crate::intrinsics::transmute;
 #[rustc_const_stable(feature = "const_forget", since = "1.46.0")]
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
 pub const fn forget<T>(t: T) {
-    let _ = ManuallyDrop::new(t);
+    // Ideally this would just be
+    // ```
+    // let _ = ManuallyDrop::new(t);
+    // ```
+    // but as of 2020-12-12 that actually codegens the construction of the type,
+    // which there's no reason to do.  Please switch it back if things have changed and
+    // the forget-is-nop codegen test confirms the intrinsic is no longer needed here.
+
+    // SAFETY: Forgetting is safe; it's just the intrinsic that isn't.
+    unsafe { intrinsics::forget(t) }
 }
 
 /// Like [`forget`], but also accepts unsized values.
diff --git a/library/core/tests/mem.rs b/library/core/tests/mem.rs
index 268c2ed283f64..54e90387b36e2 100644
--- a/library/core/tests/mem.rs
+++ b/library/core/tests/mem.rs
@@ -137,3 +137,16 @@ fn assume_init_good() {
 
     assert!(TRUE);
 }
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(not(bootstrap))]
+fn forget_works_in_const_fn() {
+    const fn forget_arg_and_return_4(x: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
+        std::mem::forget(x);
+        4
+    }
+
+    const FOUR_THE_HARD_WAY: i32 = forget_arg_and_return_4(Vec::new());
+
+    assert_eq!(FOUR_THE_HARD_WAY, 4);
+}
diff --git a/src/test/codegen/forget-is-nop.rs b/src/test/codegen/forget-is-nop.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c6d869ae073b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/codegen/forget-is-nop.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// compile-flags: -C opt-level=0
+
+#![crate_type = "lib"]
+
+// CHECK-LABEL: mem6forget{{.+}}[100 x %"std::string::String"]*
+    // CHECK-NOT: alloca
+    // CHECK-NOT: memcpy
+    // CHECK: ret
+
+// CHECK-LABEL: mem6forget{{.+}}[100 x i64]*
+    // CHECK-NOT: alloca
+    // CHECK-NOT: memcpy
+    // CHECK: ret
+
+pub fn forget_large_copy_type(whatever: [i64; 100]) {
+    std::mem::forget(whatever)
+}
+
+pub fn forget_large_drop_type(whatever: [String; 100]) {
+    std::mem::forget(whatever)
+}