1
as in agitated
feeling overwhelming fear or worry
she's been distracted about her son ever since he left on that polar expedition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in preoccupied
lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions
the distracted driver rear-ended the pickup truck that had stopped for the red light
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
she's been chronically depressed and distracted since her husband's death
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in diverted
to draw the attention or mind to something else
we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarmed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
distracted by the looming tax deadline
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of distracted
Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Reckless driving, which typically involves a combination of speeding, distracted driving and erratic and aggressive behaviors, has remained a persistent issue across the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Nic Anderson, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Don't be distracted, especially by your smartphone.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distracted
Adjective
Younger cohorts report feeling 20% more distracted and careless than just a decade ago.
—Rachel Greszler, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Reckless driving, which typically involves a combination of speeding, distracted driving and erratic and aggressive behaviors, has remained a persistent issue across the state, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
—Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
The bus driver got distracted and lost control, officials said, overcorrecting and rolling over on the interstate, near the town of Pembroke, about 40 miles east of Niagara Falls.
—Nic Anderson, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Don't be distracted, especially by your smartphone.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distracted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracted
Adjective
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Customers are allowed to be angry and agitated.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
-
An agitated elephant lay on the psychiatrist’s couch.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Qualtrics comes at the challenge of engaging customers from a different angle, but its CEO, Zig Serafin, is similarly preoccupied with how AI can improve companies’ interactions with consumers.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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There resides brooding 16-year-old Billy 5000 (Jack Corbett), who has left his childish interests behind to become preoccupied with making money delivering food via an app called Grubster (the reference to a real-life service couldn’t be more intentional).—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The same woman who used to have fun behind her camera now seems sleepy, dazed, and even drugged.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
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Some seemed visibly dazed to suddenly be back in their homeland.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The incident caused a lengthy closure of southbound lanes of I-15 as the shooting was investigated, with vehicles initially being diverted to SR-163 on Friday evening.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
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While the process looks different today, and much is diverted to more modern structures like shopping malls, water diversion in places such as Maui used to be laid out naturally flowing from the mountains to the ocean in land division called ahupuaʻa.—
Jessica Rendall,
Space.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Viewers on TikTok were alarmed by the thought of cruising through a hurricane.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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Chen Yixin, the Chinese minister of state security who has alarmed the West with his large-scale espionage offensive, promised his Cuban counterpart to increase intelligence sharing and security cooperation during a meeting in Beijing.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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One week later, Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was distraught about how Attorney General Pam Bondi handled the release of information and even appeared ready to quit the bureau before tensions simmered down.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
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In the image above, Snook sits on the couch looking distraught as her co-star Dakota Fanning kneels in front of her.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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No decision was made without Landy’s approval, leaving Mason bewildered and frustrated.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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Olivia, bewildered and frightened, runs to the vast body of Tierra del Fuego to look for him.—
Jason Liwag,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Daskalakis was disturbed by Kennedy’s comments that chickens that survive H5N1 bird flu are genetically superior and that the stronger children who get measles will survive.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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On another job in an extravagant mansion, he’s disturbed by a loud noise upstairs.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distracted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracted. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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