ABSENTMINDEDNESS Synonyms: 28 Similar Words

absentmindedness

noun

as in preoccupation

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of absentmindedness After the shopping trip, Kyle is FaceTiming with Boz about Dorit’s spending, her absentmindedness, and her inability to be on time, as if any of this is new. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026 Some of her absentmindedness in that situation can be attributed to the sleep deprivation that accompanies life as new parent. — Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 Poppy might have learned his lesson after the first one, but absentmindedness is strong in our gene pool. — Maggie Shipstead, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for absentmindedness

Noun

Advertisement America’s preoccupation with the war on terror did squander its unipolar decade.

— Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
Fretting about the future is a favorite preoccupation of the conscientious.

— Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of preoccupation

Noun

That is reminiscent of cigarette manufacturers intentionally modifying chemical formulations, such as adding ammonia compounds, to enhance the speed and efficiency of nicotine absorption to maintain user addiction.

— Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
Spinach contains oxalate, which may affect calcium absorption and contribute to kidney stones.

— Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of absorption

Noun

Another big-ticket item is the 1974 Frankenthaler green-and-blue abstraction Return and Exit, with a high estimate of $2 million.

— Brian Boucher for ArtNews, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
But there’s a fundamental abstraction to the theater that allows plays to get away with things that a movie like Prima Facie, which works so hard to place its action in a tangible world, doesn’t.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of abstraction

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absentminded

absentmindedness

absent oneself

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“Absentmindedness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/absentmindedness. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of absentmindedness

noun

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