absent-minded

American  

[ab-suhnt-mahyn-did] / ˈæb səntˈmaɪn dɪd /

Or absentminded

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   distracted, forgetful, dreamy, musing, withdrawn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

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absent-minded British  

adjective

1. preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive

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Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• absent-mindedly adverb
• absent-mindedness noun

Etymology

Origin of absent-minded

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Many women talk about having "pregnancy brain" or "baby brain", to describe feeling forgetful, absent-minded or having brain fog.

From BBC • Sep. 16, 2024

Shoot, today he was just in there and we didn’t have a good practice on offense, and some of the guys I think were a little bit absent-minded on practice.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2023

Musgrove and catcher Austin Nola were among five absent-minded Padres who mistakenly headed toward the dugout with two outs.

From Washington Times • May 14, 2023

Gallerists and museum curators must strike a balance between making works accessible and protecting them from a well-meaning, but perhaps absent-minded, public.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2023

And so he waits like a man chained in a cave, staring at the entrance or, sometimes, gazing with sad, absent-minded eyes at Wealtheow, chained beside him.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner