distracting 1 of 2

adjective

as in confounding

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distracting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distract
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

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 distracting
Adjective
Choose a clean, non-distracting background that doesn’t compete with your mug for attention. — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
The conversational delivery keeps listeners engaged without distracting from the content, creating a disruption-free experience that enhances ad reception. — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Mesh or woven flats provide texture without being distracting. — Emma Bocchi, Glamour, 7 July 2026 Another aspect of the trailer that some viewers found distracting was the actors’ use of American accents. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026 Driving into the estate down a dirt track, you’re met with concrete walls that frame the space with gallery-like precision, directing your eyes toward geological features rather than distracting from them. — Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026 There was some online angst over whether Swift was distracting from football — while the NFL itself capitalized on her fandom. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Students also reported various reasons for avoiding music, including distracting lyrics. — Bridget K. Daleiden, The Conversation, 29 June 2026 They are prohibited from unfairly distracting the taker by excessively delaying the penalty or touching the posts, crossbar or net. — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 28 June 2026 Having medication or distracting techniques at the ready should assure a safe and happy holiday for the whole household. — Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
  1. confounding
  2. diverting
  3. bothering
  4. perplexing
  5. detracting
  6. disturbing
  7. puzzling
  8. alarming
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
Definition of confounding
Verb
  • Saudi Arabia has been diverting roughly 4 million barrels a day through its East-West pipeline, according to Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Sam Meredith, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • The conflict is also deepening these vulnerabilities by diverting governments’ attention, capacity, and funding away from the climate resilience and adaptation investments their populations urgently need.
    — Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026
Definition of diverting
Verb
  • Travis was snapped having a blast bothering Jason as the duo attended a match between Jupiter Links GC and The Bay Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 3.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • For now, the Royals hope to figure out exactly what’s bothering him.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
Definition of bothering
Adjective
  • His off-court activity in the final days before he was shipped to Milwaukee included a classy and thoughtful farewell message on Monday but also included perplexing behavior that triggered a social media backlash days earlier.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • There’s something so beguiling about the obvious irony of the title, the perplexing insistence of the narrator, and the comic persistence of the ghost.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
Definition of perplexing
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
Definition of detracting
Verb
  • At the beginning of the year, Grok sparked outrage for being used to generate millions of conconsensual nudes of real people, including children, disturbing some employees, according to Bloomberg.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 16 July 2026
  • And people are increasingly good at disturbing things, through means like suburbanization.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Yet, those teams don't make Tyler Dragon's list of the four teams that had the most puzzling offseasons.
    — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Researchers hope the effort may yield clues about dark matter as well as an equally puzzling force known as dark energy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
Definition of puzzling
Verb
  • So, even just the unusual presence of an aircraft in this area made this incident alarming for one resident, Anna, who spoke to CNN near the scene.
    — Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
  • 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.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of alarming

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Cite this Entry

“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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