unfocused
Americanadjective
-
not brought into focus; lacking proper focus.
an unfocused camera.
-
lacking a clear purpose or direction.
an unfocused meeting.
Etymology
Origin of unfocused
First recorded in 1885–90; un- 1 + focus ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the aftermath of that summer, a wounded Jean stumbles through her last two years of college, “berserk, unfocused, humiliating.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
The rambling and unfocused speech offered little in the way of specifics.
From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026
Yet works of high seriousness were never his strong suit, as his rambling and distressingly unfocused Eisenhower Memorial in Washington showed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Back then it was hard to get approval from the police, and the march was a chaotic, unfocused event.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025
Fenton didn’t seem to notice, his eyes growing glassy and unfocused.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
