as in confounding
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Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distracting
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
23 June 2026
People attending the trial would also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing, or otherwise disrupting proceedings.
—
Matthew Davisson,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
In addition, intense, exciting soccer matches can be distracting and lead to overlooking subtle signs of dehydration.
—
Lisa Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
The distracting double borders appear to be gone, and sidebars are now attached to the main windows.
—
Edward Mendelson,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.
—
Dahlia Gallin Ramirez,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
But nothing in these sets is meant to be overly distracting from the performances.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
The whole idea is to choose something that isn't too distracting.
—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
7 June 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
However, there was a distracting graphical issue where characters and objects would get weird glowy or black artifacts around the edges in close-up shots during battles and cutscenes.
—
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
23 June 2026
People attending the trial would also be prohibited from reacting, gesturing, wearing distracting clothing, or otherwise disrupting proceedings.
—
Matthew Davisson,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
In addition, intense, exciting soccer matches can be distracting and lead to overlooking subtle signs of dehydration.
—
Lisa Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
The distracting double borders appear to be gone, and sidebars are now attached to the main windows.
—
Edward Mendelson,
PC Magazine,
10 June 2026
The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.
—
Dahlia Gallin Ramirez,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.
—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
But nothing in these sets is meant to be overly distracting from the performances.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 June 2026
The whole idea is to choose something that isn't too distracting.
—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
Adjective
-
Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
-
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.
Verb
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In a social media post Saturday afternoon, the Kansas City Police Department wrote that bags that don’t meet the event’s clear bag policy were diverting law enforcement resources, as those bags have to be thoroughly inspected.
-
The California Highway Patrol temporarily shut down all westbound lanes of the freeway, diverting traffic onto Irwindale Avenue, before opening up one lane.
Verb
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That shift may help explain why some couples notice their partner’s scent bothering them more during periods of conflict.
-
The chest pain that had been bothering her finally let up.
Adjective
-
The sentencing capped an extraordinary investigation that solved one of New York’s most perplexing mysteries.
-
The charming little burg is plagued by a perplexing dead body problem.
Verb
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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.
-
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.
Verb
-
The ability to create disturbing horror in comics is not easy.
-
He was charged with stalking, disturbing the peace and obstruction for failure to identify himself to law enforcement.
Adjective
-
However, another round of lawsuits was somewhat puzzling.
-
But for Democrats, the aversion may seem more puzzling.
Verb
-
At the same time, the state’s spending keeps growing quickly as well, alarming the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which advises the Legislature on fiscal matters.
-
The 2023 property tax valuation cycle — and to a lesser extent, the 2024 and 2025 cycles — have been the subject of widespread outrage in Jackson County, with skyrocketing property values alarming homeowners and business owners alike.
Cite this Entry
“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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