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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.

The pub, which also has a campsite, said it had absorbed the latest rise earlier this year.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

The imaging results revealed both brightness and phase changes within the plasma channel, including the formation of a dense free-electron plasma that affects how light is absorbed and how it travels through water.

From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026

As with his beloved Florida citrus, Rick Dantzler’s on the way out—age 70, retiring from the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, which, after losing its state funding, was getting absorbed by another group anyway.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Then they absorbed further insult on a soaring blocked shot by Jake LaRavia.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

On New Year’s Eve the parlor was deserted, for the two younger girls played dressing maids and the two elder were absorbed in the all-important business of ‘getting ready for the party’.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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.