distractibility

[ dih-strak-tuh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

1. inability to sustain one's attention or attentiveness, which is rapidly diverted from one topic to another: a symptom of a variety of mental disorders, as manic disorder, schizophrenia, or anxiety states.

Word History and Origins

Origin of distractibility¹

First recorded in 1900–05; distract + -ibility

Example Sentences

Willed attention, rather than spineless feeling distractibility, might have saved him.

From Project Gutenberg