absent-minded
or ab·sent·mind·ed
[ ab-suhnt-mahyn-did ]
/ ˈæb səntˈmaɪn dɪd /
||
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.
Nearby words
- absence,
- absence makes the heart grow fonder,
- absence seizure,
- absent,
- absent without leave,
- absentation,
- absente reo,
- absentee,
- absentee ballot,
- absentee landlord
Origin of absent-minded
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for absentmindedly
absent-minded
adjective
preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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