Synonyms of distract

distract 1 of 3

verb (1)

di-ˈstrakt 

1

as in to divert

to draw the attention or mind to something else

we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside

Synonyms & Similar Words

• divert
• detract
• abstract
• throw off
• amuse
• entertain
• call off
• stray
• wander
• beguile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• focus
• concentrate

2

as in to disturb

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

distracted by the looming tax deadline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturb
• bother
• worry
• concern
• alarm
• unsettle
• agitate
• annoy
• anger
• derail
• haunt
• distress
• irritate
• confuse
• perturb
• upset
• plague
• unhinge
• embarrass
• discomfort
• undo
• dismay
• exercise
• discompose
• ail
• rattle
• aggravate
• disquiet
• flurry
• harass
• exasperate
• discourage
• pester
• fuss
• rile
• bug
• freak (out)
• frazzle
• irk
• weird out
• distemper
• vex
• bedevil
• hagride
• fluster
• disconcert
• pique
• confound
• get
• put off
• fret
• put out
• unnerve
• mortify
• discomfit
• dishearten
• chafe
• demoralize
• faze
• dispirit
• harry
• grate
• gall
• daunt
• chivy
• shake up
• peeve
• discountenance
• nettle
• abash
• jar
• nonplus

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settle
• soothe
• calm
• compose
• quiet
• alleviate
• allay
• assuage
• tranquilize
• appease
• placate
• pacify
• mollify
• conciliate
• propitiate

distracting

2 of 3

adjective

as in confounding

Related Words

• confounding
• perplexing
• puzzling
• inaccurate
• lying
• bewildering
• incorrect
• fraudulent
• duplicitous
• subtle
• untrustworthy
• wrong
• misleading
• trick
• dishonest
• tricky
• untruthful
• mendacious
• faithless
• deceiving
• sneaky
• crafty
• deceptive
• shifty
• slick
• artful
• cunning
• subtile
• wily
• dissembling
• crooked
• underhanded
• defrauding
• ambidextrous
• devious
• foxy
• insidious
• sly
• knavish
• beguiling
• specious
• spurious
• ambiguous
• underhand
• counterfeit
• phony
• deceitful
• fake
• bogus
• delusive
• trickish
• treacherous
• fallacious
• shady
• feigned
• double-dealing
• sneaking
• jive
• perfidious
• deluding
• sham
• evasive
• guileful
• fast
• hypocritical
• forged
• delusory
• false
• insincere
• circuitous
• equivocal
• artificial
• backhanded
• two-faced
• left-handed

Dissimilar Words

• direct
• straightforward
• plain
• illuminating
• forthright
• open
• outspoken
• straight
• candid
• aboveboard
• frank
• revealing
• explanatory
• nondeceptive
• clarifying
• revelatory
• plainspoken
• truthful
• openhearted
• honest
• free-spoken
• trustworthy
• elucidative
• foursquare

distracting

3 of 3

verb (2)

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

• diverting
• detracting
• amusing
• throwing off
• abstracting
• entertaining
• calling off
• wandering
• straying
• beguiling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• focusing
• concentrating

2

as in bothering

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

distracted by the looming tax deadline

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bothering
• disturbing
• alarming
• worrying
• concerning
• unsettling
• angering
• distressing
• annoying
• agitating
• upsetting
• haunting
• plaguing
• irritating
• discomforting
• perturbing
• disquieting
• confusing
• dismaying
• derailing
• undoing
• exercising
• ailing
• fussing
• embarrassing
• unhinging
• rattling
• bugging
• aggravating
• exasperating
• harassing
• freaking (out)
• distempering
• discomposing
• flurrying
• frazzling
• discouraging
• pestering
• irking
• hagriding
• vexing
• disconcerting
• nettling
• grating
• weirding out
• riling
• harrying
• jarring
• fretting
• galling
• chafing
• bedeviling
• getting
• mortifying
• piquing
• confounding
• flustering
• putting off
• discomfiting
• unnerving
• putting out
• chivying
• peeving
• demoralizing
• disheartening
• daunting
• dispiriting
• discountenancing
• shaking up
• fazing
• abashing
• nonplussing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• soothing
• calming
• composing
• quieting
• settling
• alleviating
• allaying
• tranquilizing
• appeasing
• pacifying
• placating
• assuaging
• conciliating
• mollifying
• propitiating

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb distract differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of distract are bewilder, confound, dumbfound, nonplus, perplex, and puzzle. While all these words mean "to baffle and disturb mentally," distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

When might bewilder be a better fit than distract?

While in some cases nearly identical to distract, bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

When can confound be used instead of distract?

Although the words confound and distract have much in common, confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

When is dumbfound a more appropriate choice than distract?

The synonyms dumbfound and distract are sometimes interchangeable, but dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

When could nonplus be used to replace distract?

In some situations, the words nonplus and distract are roughly equivalent. However, nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

When is it sensible to use perplex instead of distract?

While the synonyms perplex and distract are close in meaning, perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

Where would puzzle be a reasonable alternative to distract?

The meanings of puzzle and distract largely overlap; however, puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of distract

Verb

In this case, Swift opted to let the strands of her bow hang well past her ponytail, giving the hair accessory a veil-like quality without distracting from the rest of her look. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 May 2026

These pressures force leaders to pursue aggressive, highly nationalist foreign expansion or trade wars to distract from internal structural failures. —Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 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

Sorting foods according to the number of ingredients and the technology used to make the foods — but not the actual nutritional value — could just end up confusing people and distracting from the larger issue. —Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 27 Apr. 2026

The curators supply a historical backdrop, therefore, but discreetly, and without distracting us from Wright’s poetic originality. —Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026