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Synonyms

absorbed

American  
[ab-sawrbd, -zawrbd] / æbˈsɔrbd, -ˈzɔrbd /

adjective

  1. deeply interested or involved; preoccupied.

    He had an absorbed look on his face.
absorbed British  
/ əbˈsɔːbɪdlɪ, -ˈzɔːbd, -ˈzɔː-, əbˈsɔːbd /

adjective

  1. engrossed; deeply interested

"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

Other Word Forms

  • absorbedly adverb
  • absorbedness noun
  • unabsorbed adjective
  • well-absorbed adjective

Etymology

Origin of absorbed

First recorded in 1755–65; absorb + -ed 2

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.

That means losses are absorbed primarily by long-term equity investors rather than short-term creditors.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Zaslav, one of the most richly compensated executives in America, is poised to receive as much as $887 million to depart the company once it is absorbed by David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Amazon said that until now it had absorbed the higher fuel and logistics costs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

While Chisora has exceeded all expectations during his 19-year career, the punishment he has absorbed across 346 rounds is difficult to ignore.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

She had been too absorbed with watching Dr. van Heerden’s beard fluff out like Fat Cheeks’s mane or with the warthog trailing around after Baba Joseph.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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.