unfocused

adjective

variants also unfocussed
Definition of unfocusednext
as in muddled

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 unfocused Defense and conditioning needs work In what has been a role reversal for a man who was lauded as a stopper in Ann Arbor, Lendeborg’s hot shooting has been balanced out by his unfocused defense. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 Heavy on grooves and jams, this album sometimes feels unfocused and indulgent. — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 Rather than casting wide nets with unfocused stops, officers act on verified information. — Charles "chuck" Broadway, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026 Feeling scattered and unfocused? — Usa Today, USA Today, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfocused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfocused
  1. muddled
  2. bewildered
  3. dazed
  4. scatterbrained
  5. confused
  6. bemused
  7. senile
  8. negligent
Adjective
  • But because decomposing food is a source of ammonia, the source of any emissions remains muddled, regulators said.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • In the summer of 1991, a group of conspirators staged a muddled coup to overthrow then-USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, ultimately accelerating the shift from communism to capitalism.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of muddled
Adjective
  • On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That's when Penix, who was standing nearby, pointed at him and made a bewildered face.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Adjective
  • Daemon struggles to his feet, dazed, and begins cleaving his way through the smouldering city.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Grutman approaches Hart’s character, who is on the ground dazed and disheveled from a wild night out.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026
Definition of dazed
Adjective
  • Susan Blanchard co-starred as Tina Kelly, his scatterbrained housekeeper.
    — Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The novel begins on a Monday afternoon like any other at its three adolescent central characters’ loving but scatterbrained aunt Xía’s house in Miami.
    — Juan Vidal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Definition of scatterbrained
Adjective
  • The agent sitting next to him on the plane also seemed confused.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The Citi Field crowd seemed both confused and enthused when the opening notes of Jackson’s 1982 hit began to play.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • To his right, a young man is shooting on his iPhone while his friend interviews a bemused passerby.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The leasing officer who let us in watches from the doorway with a bemused smile as Parks films the space on her phone, clacking around the hardwood floors in nude heels and a backless seafoam dress, a Coach bag slung over her shoulder.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 14 July 2026
Definition of bemused
Adjective
  • Not long ago, a senile American president’s plan to lead democracies in a battle with autocracies was being applauded by post-1989 Atlanticists such as Anne Applebaum and Adam Michnik.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • They are being given directions by a senile old man who is losing his mind.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of senile
Adjective
  • The investigation concluded that the actions of a Connecticut Department of Correction officer who allegedly did not properly monitor Guaranda were negligent but did not rise to the level of criminal behavior, Prescott wrote.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier this year, in a landmark trial in Los Angeles, a jury found Meta and YouTube, which is owned by Google, negligent in designing apps that harmed a now 20-year-old woman.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of negligent

Browse Nearby Words

unflinching
unfocused
unfold
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unfocused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfocused. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All