absent-minded

or ab·sent·mind·ed

[ ab-suhnt-mahyn-did ]

adjective

1. 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.

   Synonyms: distracted, forgetful, dreamy, musing, withdrawn

   Antonyms: observant, heedful, alert, attentive

absent-minded

adjective

1. preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive

Derived Forms

• ˌabsent-ˈmindedly, adverb
• ˌabsent-ˈmindedness, noun

Other Words From

• absent-minded·ly adverb
• absent-minded·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of absent-minded¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

A rush of water spills from above, but not from the bottle of an absent-minded commuter or tipsy traveler.

From The Daily Beast

“He was famously absent-minded, but not proud of the fact,” Davis writes.

From The Daily Beast

She may wonder why you're so different from other hetero dudes who tend to be more absent-minded about Valentine's Day.

From The Daily Beast

The boy genius Geithner turned into an absent-minded professor when he filled in his tax returns.

From The Daily Beast

Absent-minded, now an' then,—av'rage generous, an' not payin' much attention to his surroundin's.

From Project Gutenberg

He looked for help to Madame Bill, who gazed at the smoke of her cheroot and seemed absent-minded.

From Project Gutenberg

"Tommy Atkins" was the rage for the moment, and what may be called "Absent-minded Beggarism" was rampant.

From Project Gutenberg

The hurry and anxiety, the stress of instant preparation and departure, had clean driven it from my absent-minded head.

From Project Gutenberg

It struck Mademoiselle des Touches that the Consul looked rather too absent-minded for a perfectly happy man.

From Project Gutenberg