absent-minded

or ab·sent·mind·ed

[ ab-suhnt-mahyn-did ]

/ ˈæb səntˈmaɪn dɪd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR absent-minded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

so lost in thought that one does not realize what one is doing, what is happening, etc.; preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one's immediate surroundings.

Words nearby absent-minded

absence, absence makes the heart grow fonder, absence seizure, absent, absent without leave, absent-minded, absente reo, absentee, absentee ballot, absentee landlord, absentee vote

Origin of absent-minded

First recorded in 1850–55

SYNONYMS FOR absent-minded

withdrawn, musing, daydreaming, dreamy, forgetful, distracted.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR absent-minded ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR absent-minded

attentive, alert, heedful, observant.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR absent-minded ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM absent-minded

ab·sent-mind·ed·ly, adverbab·sent-mind·ed·ness, noun

synonym study for absent-minded

Absent-minded, abstracted, oblivious all mean inattentive to immediate surroundings. Absent-minded suggests an unintentional wandering of the mind from the present: an absent-minded committee member. Abstracted implies that the mind has been drawn away from the immediate present by reflection upon some engrossing subject: an abstracted air. Oblivious implies absorption in some thought that causes one to be completely forgetful of or unaware of one's surroundings: oblivious of danger.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for absent-minded

A rush of water spills from above, but not from the bottle of an absent-minded commuter or tipsy traveler.
Leaky Ceilings, Catcalls, and Uncaged Pythons: 4 Hours on NYC’s Worst Subway|Kevin Zawacki|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The boy genius Geithner turned into an absent-minded professor when he filled in his tax returns.
Obama's Strange Obsession|Tina Brown|February 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST
He is moody, and absent-minded, and—and hasty, and he settles to nothing.
A Change of Air|Anthony Hope
"I'm afraid I've been absent-minded," she began, remembering how often William had brought this charge against her.
Night and Day|Virginia Woolf

If they found him absent-minded they excused him since he was the famous mental specialist whom everybody was proud to know.
The Wolves of God|Algernon Blackwood
My mistress is so absent-minded that I know her heart is filled with longing for somebody.
The Little Clay Cart|(Attributed To) King Shudraka
A propos of his bursting into a wrong bedroom he says: "I am absent-minded, you know."
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks

British Dictionary definitions for absent-minded

absent-minded

adjective

preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive

Derived forms of absent-minded

absent-mindedly, adverbabsent-mindedness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012