absent-minded

adjective

ab·​sent-mind·​ed ˌab-sənt-ˈmīn-dəd 

variants or less commonly absentminded

1

a

: lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions : preoccupied

was too absent-minded to notice what time it was

b

: tending to forget or fail to notice things : given to absence of mind (see absence sense 3)

an absent-minded person prone to forgetting appointments

2

: indicative of or resulting from preoccupation or absence of mind

gave an absent-minded reply

absentmindedly adverb

or less commonly absent-mindedly

absentmindedness noun

or less commonly absent-mindedness

Synonyms

• absent
• abstracted
• distracted
• preoccupied

Choose the Right Synonym for absent-minded

abstracted, preoccupied, absent, absent-minded, distracted mean inattentive to what claims or demands consideration.

abstracted implies absorption of the mind in something other than one's surroundings, and often suggests reflection on weighty matters.

walking about with an abstracted air

preoccupied often implies having one's attention so taken up by thoughts as to neglect others.

too preoccupied with her debts to enjoy the meal

absent stresses inability to fix the mind on present concerns due more to mental wandering than to concentration on other matters.

an absent stare

absent-minded implies that the mind is fixed elsewhere and often refers to a habit of abstractedness.

so absent-minded, he's been known to wear mismatched shoes

distracted may suggest an inability to concentrate caused by worry, sorrow, or anxiety.

was too distracted by grief to continue working

Examples of absent-minded in a Sentence

Her absentminded husband forgot their anniversary.

She did the chores in an absentminded way.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Germans were voting, in the absent-minded way of democratic voters everywhere, for easy reassurances, for stability, with classes siding against their historical enemies. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

Believe it or not, Lewis brings depth and nuance to a form that is usually cheerful or absent-minded. —Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024

The ad, from creative ad agency Special Group, also shows regular people making comically absent-minded goofs. —Variety, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2024

Other details in the report could add to the portrait of an aging, absent-minded president. —Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024

But magnet faculty enjoyed a great deal of autonomy—Anstead, who developed a reputation among Core students for being gentle and brilliant, if a bit absentminded, gave teachers free rein over their classes. —Longreads, 1 Sep. 2022

But as happens to absentminded professors worldwide (at least according to my dear wife), my mind started to wander from the task at hand to something related to plants. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 6 Mar. 2020

In their own seemingly innocent, absentminded way, slow drivers pose just as much of a threat to society as fast ones. —Joe Queenan, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2018

Megyn Kelly’s dog took a brief sojourn in a total stranger’s lavish Montana villa after her absentminded caretakers unintentionally abandoned her there during their vacation in the Big Sky Country. —Amanda Arnold, The Cut, 26 Mar. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

absentminded

adjective

ab·​sent·​mind·​ed ˌab-sənt-ˈmīn-dəd 

: lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions

absentmindedly adverb

absentmindedness noun