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

The film continues Majidi’s longstanding thematic preoccupation with the moral pressures faced by people on society’s margins, as seen in earlier festival-winning works like The Color of Paradise (1999) and Baran (2001).

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Scientists at Macquarie University in Australia have highlighted how our growing preoccupation with sleep hygiene might not be in our best interests, and in turn may be leading to more issues at night.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of preoccupation

Noun

Her devices included Onda’s Coolwaves technology for facial contouring, Lumenis radiofrequency for delicate areas, TriLift for facial muscle stimulation and Geneo ultrasound to enhance product absorption.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
In recent skin-absorption studies, the FDA found that 1,4-dioxane can penetrate the skin in trace amounts, especially when applied as a lotion.

— Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of absorption

Noun

One of those sales was a rare Sam Gilliam hard-edge abstraction, Mycenaean Ode (1965), for $300,000.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
To take such a thing seriously in this age of nihilism and disenchantment betrays a person as potentially unserious, someone committed to abstraction, to feeling over logic and material reality.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of abstraction

Noun

Perfect Road, a documentary from Danish directors and cousins Adam and Christian Bonke, follows him on an extreme journey through some of Europe’s highest mountain passes, while also providing a meditation on modern life and character study.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
While others find peace through meditation and community dinners, Gibbs finds it through the brigade.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of meditation

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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 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of absentmindedness

noun

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