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
Relevance
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
as in confounding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distracting
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Here, the challenge was capturing speed, altitude, and precision in a way that feels immediate without distracting from the story.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Young committed to trying to help the deployment strengthen the community without distracting from ongoing law enforcement efforts.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Sep. 2025
Speaking of, such bold claims risk distracting from the film’s equally impressive auditory elements such as new songs from Aimer and yes, LiSA (not to be confused with BLACKPINK’s Lisa, of course).
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
This combination lends itself to transitions from focus to out of focus and background blur (bokeh) that's smooth and free of distracting elements.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
In class, Danny continues to be disorderly, challenging Maria’s authority, throwing stuff when angry, completely distracting and even frightening the other students.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Leaders shrug off emotional labour as soft or distracting.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 7 Sep. 2025
In fact, the energy is disquieting and distracting to you.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Choose a clean, non-distracting background that doesn’t compete with your mug for attention.
—William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
With Jorgen Strand Larsen, who scored vital goals last season, suffering from an injury and a distracting transfer saga amid interest from Newcastle, Pereira has had to work with three crucial players through the spine of his team either missing or below par.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Here, the challenge was capturing speed, altitude, and precision in a way that feels immediate without distracting from the story.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Young committed to trying to help the deployment strengthen the community without distracting from ongoing law enforcement efforts.
—Arkansas Online, 13 Sep. 2025
Speaking of, such bold claims risk distracting from the film’s equally impressive auditory elements such as new songs from Aimer and yes, LiSA (not to be confused with BLACKPINK’s Lisa, of course).
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
This combination lends itself to transitions from focus to out of focus and background blur (bokeh) that's smooth and free of distracting elements.
—PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2025
In class, Danny continues to be disorderly, challenging Maria’s authority, throwing stuff when angry, completely distracting and even frightening the other students.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Leaders shrug off emotional labour as soft or distracting.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 7 Sep. 2025
In fact, the energy is disquieting and distracting to you.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
Verb
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The suit accuses Haman of running an online retailer, Quba Pro Inc, that allegedly defrauded Cornerstone by raising money in a financing agreement and diverting the funds.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Goldman Sachs says surging investment in AI among the S&P 500 companies is diverting funds from stock buybacks, halting their usual yearly growth.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lead with Gratitude and Grace Calling out someone for bothering you is always tricky.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
-
That appeared to be a distraction at times to Anisimova, who motioned to her team in the stands that something was bothering her during ball tosses for serves.—
Howard Fendrich,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Tuesday will go down as one of Boston’s most confounding losses of the season, a 4-3 defeat in 11 innings to the Baltimore Orioles in which the club went 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Unfollow accounts that regularly share disturbing images.—
Annie Margaret,
The Conversation,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The second sounds like every other LinkedIn message disturbing their peace and cluttering their inbox.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is especially perplexing when supermassive black holes are seen in a time when the universe was less than 1 billion years old.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
For nearly five decades, NASA's twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy's most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The tackling was alarming enough that the Broncos were practicing on Monday with live tackles, something that’s not seen too often once the season starts.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Sep. 2025
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The news was saddening for Jewell — but also alarming for the defense.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The preseason play wasn’t encouraging, and Canales’ decision to rest the starters in the exhibition finale looks even more puzzling in hindsight, especially after the offensive group produced three three-and-outs and one touchdown drive.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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One fact of the crime scene grabbed the most attention and remains to this day the most puzzling, tantalizing, and frightening aspect of the discovery of the body.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This willingness of the AI to heap praise and act as a sycophant has worrying consequences for the populace as a whole.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In fact, Federal Reserve policymakers have already started worrying about the housing market.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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