as in confounding
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1
as in diverting
to draw the attention or mind to something else
we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
distracted by the looming tax deadline
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distracting
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 1 June 2026
If anything, Horvath writes, ed tech broke American schools by pitching distracting multimedia to boost learning.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 31 May 2026
The director, 86, said that Travolta's fans shut down production, and the team had to get creative about distracting them.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Leaders need to be alert to what’s merely a shiny and distracting new tool versus something that’s actually going to make a material impact.
—Emma Westley, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Using it as a vehicle for panic about the World Cup risks both stigmatizing affected populations and distracting attention from the practical preparedness measures that actually keep people safe.
—Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 28 May 2026
The phones come with a collection of games optimized for the external display, and opening the phone to use the big foldable OLED will often be faster for most tasks, but using the external screen can help steer you away from distracting apps.
—ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Thankfully, The Great American Baking Show has two devilishly distracting hosts at hand to make sure the participants are juggling as many plates as possible.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Shooting in the real homes, clubs and neighborhoods that birthed these characters strips away distracting artifice, allowing the slowburn emotional stakes to take over.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Adjective
Choose a clean, non-distracting background that doesn’t compete with your mug for attention.
—William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
People who attend the trial will also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing or otherwise disrupting the proceedings.
—Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 1 June 2026
If anything, Horvath writes, ed tech broke American schools by pitching distracting multimedia to boost learning.
—Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 31 May 2026
The director, 86, said that Travolta's fans shut down production, and the team had to get creative about distracting them.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Leaders need to be alert to what’s merely a shiny and distracting new tool versus something that’s actually going to make a material impact.
—Emma Westley, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Using it as a vehicle for panic about the World Cup risks both stigmatizing affected populations and distracting attention from the practical preparedness measures that actually keep people safe.
—Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 28 May 2026
The phones come with a collection of games optimized for the external display, and opening the phone to use the big foldable OLED will often be faster for most tasks, but using the external screen can help steer you away from distracting apps.
—ArsTechnica, 27 May 2026
Thankfully, The Great American Baking Show has two devilishly distracting hosts at hand to make sure the participants are juggling as many plates as possible.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Shooting in the real homes, clubs and neighborhoods that birthed these characters strips away distracting artifice, allowing the slowburn emotional stakes to take over.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In 2021, one year into D’Amaro’s tenure and following COVID shutdowns, Disney did away with FastPass and introduced a confounding and very costly series of pay-to-skip passes, which require timing advanced booking of limited slots in these formerly free-to-enter shorter lines.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Creating parallel capabilities overseas risks duplicating existing infrastructure while diverting attention and resources from the interventions most likely to bring the outbreak under control.—
Krutika Kuppalli,
STAT,
5 June 2026
-
Concurrently, the Met botch their way through their investigation, diverting all their attention to an entirely innocent man while ignoring the serial offender under their nose.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Brunson turned on the boosters in the second half, attacking the Spurs' defense and showing little sign that his knee was bothering him.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
If certain smells or experiences are bothering you, here are some other tips for managing postpartum odor and sweat.—
Dory Zayas,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
What might motivate Rozier to take part in such as scheme is perplexing.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
The right-hander has struggled to maintain his velocity this season, a perplexing trend largely stemming from an inconsistency in his mechanics.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
An expansion into New Mexico would add oil revenue from the Permian Basin to Texas, adding to its economy and detracting, in turn, from New Mexico's.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Some asserted that the commitment and costs of traveling and attending meetings paired with the limited compensation was detracting members of the public from running for office.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The spotted fish thrashes angrily, disturbing the waters so that the pool’s edge laps against the rock.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Most were for assault of police officers while other allegations include theft, vandalism and disturbing the public order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The puzzling ‘Beefcake’ fossil For Zietlow, Tylosaurus rex’s origin story began in 2020 in New York City.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Lugging one of the least productive offenses in the American League, no doubt the Royals would like to get to that same place about Caglianone — who after a puzzling day off Sunday had two doubles in KC’s 3-1 loss to Boston on Monday at Kauffman Stadium.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The alerts were triggered by the severe thunderstorm moving through the area, alarming some residents who were unaware the city’s siren system now also goes off when a severe weather warning is issued by the National Weather Service.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Midway through my massage, the boat unmoored itself and set sail—setting off an initially alarming vibrating bed and whirring engine noise.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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