1
2
as in to disturb
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
distracted by the looming tax deadline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in confounding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distracting
Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
While the housing bill got lost among numerous priorities during this year’s legislative session, top leaders are now laser-focused on the issue and will not be distracted.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
The recording sessions, in a house-cum-studio in Wales, can be accurately dated to May of that year, by the fact Oasis were heavily distracted by that season’s title race.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 29 June 2025
Hang suet feeders away from the house, which may distract woodpeckers and keep them away from your home, says Pierce.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
Through it all, a television plays telenovela reruns to distract me from the pain and to drown out the sound of the dental work for the unsuspecting salon patrons on the other side of the wall.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Natalie suggests that, while everyone is distracted by the heist, Riri should swipe a scrap from Parker’s cloak for analysis.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Hedda, which stars Tessa Thompson as Hedda Gabler, is a feature reimagined take of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 stage drama, Hedda Gabler, about a bored newlywed and daughter of General Gabler who becomes distracted by her father’s pistols and a ne’er-do-well, Judge Brack.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 26 June 2025
And cars equipped with tons of sensors are less likely to get distracted, less likely to speed, less likely to fail to see someone crossing in their path in the twilight hours.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
For instance, many autistic people have a heightened sense of hearing, and loud noises, rattling sounds or even electricity can be distracting in the work environment.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Anyone who has ever worked on a movie set knows that the cast and crew dread the days when the studio suits show up, stumbling over cables, distracting the talent, and walking in front of the camera.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2025
By appearing at ringside and distracting Lee, Van Dam created an opening for Evans to secure the victory.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
But the choice to use CGI is jarring, distracting from the dwarfs' otherwise delightful introduction in the film.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
While the venerable actor remains one of our greats, his toggling back and forth between playing New York mob kingpin Frank Costello and portraying gone-rogue former buddy Vito Genovese ultimately proves distracting and is wholly unnecessary.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Two of them began arguing, distracting the guards, thereby allowing the third, who wore a trenchcoat, a fake beard, and a tweed hat, to covertly affix a painting to the wall using double-sided tape.
—Alex Scordelis, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
The president’s critics, meanwhile, accuse him of using the scandal to distract from stalled reforms and growing public dissatisfaction.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
While the housing bill got lost among numerous priorities during this year’s legislative session, top leaders are now laser-focused on the issue and will not be distracted.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
The recording sessions, in a house-cum-studio in Wales, can be accurately dated to May of that year, by the fact Oasis were heavily distracted by that season’s title race.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 29 June 2025
Hang suet feeders away from the house, which may distract woodpeckers and keep them away from your home, says Pierce.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 29 June 2025
Through it all, a television plays telenovela reruns to distract me from the pain and to drown out the sound of the dental work for the unsuspecting salon patrons on the other side of the wall.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Natalie suggests that, while everyone is distracted by the heist, Riri should swipe a scrap from Parker’s cloak for analysis.
—Stacia Brown, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Hedda, which stars Tessa Thompson as Hedda Gabler, is a feature reimagined take of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 stage drama, Hedda Gabler, about a bored newlywed and daughter of General Gabler who becomes distracted by her father’s pistols and a ne’er-do-well, Judge Brack.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 26 June 2025
And cars equipped with tons of sensors are less likely to get distracted, less likely to speed, less likely to fail to see someone crossing in their path in the twilight hours.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 24 June 2025
Adjective
Occupying and distracting the mind.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.
—Judy Berman, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
For instance, many autistic people have a heightened sense of hearing, and loud noises, rattling sounds or even electricity can be distracting in the work environment.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Anyone who has ever worked on a movie set knows that the cast and crew dread the days when the studio suits show up, stumbling over cables, distracting the talent, and walking in front of the camera.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 27 Mar. 2025
By appearing at ringside and distracting Lee, Van Dam created an opening for Evans to secure the victory.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
But the choice to use CGI is jarring, distracting from the dwarfs' otherwise delightful introduction in the film.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
While the venerable actor remains one of our greats, his toggling back and forth between playing New York mob kingpin Frank Costello and portraying gone-rogue former buddy Vito Genovese ultimately proves distracting and is wholly unnecessary.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
Two of them began arguing, distracting the guards, thereby allowing the third, who wore a trenchcoat, a fake beard, and a tweed hat, to covertly affix a painting to the wall using double-sided tape.
—Alex Scordelis, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
Adjective
-
The growing complexity of the guidelines is all the more perplexing because the government’s overarching advice on how to eat healthier hasn’t changed that much over the past 35 years.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
-
Forecasters point to perplexing planetary phenomenon.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
But the more puzzling sequences are offset by the mindless pleasure of destroying everything in your path, which is also a valid solution for many problems.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 July 2025
-
Some only require smacking a machine with a wrench, while others can be more puzzling at first — like rapidly hitting button prompts to kickstart a fire generator and tossing it into a frozen anomaly without setting yourself on fire.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, though Republican leaders dismissed the projection as inaccurate.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 July 2025
-
And finding those homes proved challenging because many records were missing or inaccurate — some handwritten on notecards dating to the early 1900s.—
Michael Phillis,
Los Angeles Times,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
This book is his opus, one bewildering, confusing, meandering, and disorienting episodic tale after another involving reporters, runways, and casinos, back when Vegas was gloriously trashy.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
-
The judge’s tone is one of bewilderment because these circumstances are indeed bewildering, and no doubt would be to the Founding Fathers who expressly rejected monarchy and established a system of government where the citizenry would be free to express its discontent at government policies.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
Consider a car engine: Removing deposits and sludge (inaccurate, outdated, irrelevant and incorrect information) reduces friction, while clean oil (large language models and AI) ensures smooth performance.—
Savinay Berry,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
The buzzer was heard since that number was incorrect and the price of the car increased to 50 cents.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Why Amazon Prime Day scammers are winning and how to stay ahead While Amazon hasn't released a formal statement yet, the company maintains ongoing efforts to detect and remove fraudulent listings and suspicious domains.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
-
Republished on July 4 with further police and federal agency warnings that fraudulent callers are now targeting smartphone users in the U.S. This is not the FBI.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
This is a duplicitous, murderous regime that isn’t interested in dialogue.—
Danielle Wallace , Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
22 June 2025
-
Michelle Wu’s duplicitous stunt demanding Freedom of Information responses from ICE is just the latest laughable Democratic tactic to stoke opposition to President Donald Trump’s deportation roundup.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
12 June 2025
Adjective
-
The result was a robust workforce forecasting model, one that’s sophisticated enough to consider the subtle complexities of human behavior and help identify potential attrition risks.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
-
Edwards clearly is a devoted Spielberg fan, embedding subtle homages throughout, notably in the open water sequences that recall Jaws.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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