distracted
having the attention diverted: She tossed several rocks to the far left and slipped past the distracted sentry.
rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner, as by worry, remorse, or the like; irrational; disturbed.
Origin of distracted
1Other words from distracted
- dis·tract·ed·ly, adverb
- dis·tract·ed·ness, noun
- non·dis·tract·ed, adjective
- non·dis·tract·ed·ly, adverb
- un·dis·tract·ed, adjective
- un·dis·tract·ed·ly, adverb
- un·dis·tract·ed·ness, noun
Words Nearby distracted
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use distracted in a sentence
For less-than-hateful remarks, where no moral stand is indicated, try, “I’m less distracted when I sit alone.”
Carolyn Hax: He’s a great guy, except for the bigotry | Carolyn Hax | December 11, 2020 | Washington PostWe can’t be optimizing against empty rooms and a distracted audience.
Why ad buyers (and sellers) need to pay more attention to viewer attention | TVision | December 2, 2020 | DigidayA cook will get distracted and lose track of something on the stove.
More burn injuries are occurring in kitchens during pandemic. Thanksgiving may see a rise in these accidents. | Katherine Ellison | November 22, 2020 | Washington PostI shared my internal struggles with close friends and family and discovered that I know multiple people who have been hit by distracted or reckless drivers.
I’ve always been too distracted to be the kind of fan who remembers all the details of specific games.
Employers—both women and men—think mothers are distracted by family duties.
How Good Dads Can Change the World | Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTSomebody yanks Chan and elbows him and he is momentarily distracted trying to apprehend his assailant.
First we laugh, then we begin to wonder why the man was so distracted that he didn't notice he'd taken the doorknob with him.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt the moment when the remaining gunmen were distracted by a cellphone call, the five survivors bolted into the darkness.
If anything, he is apologetic that he is being distracted with incoming emails about it.
Dinner With James Deen During Porn’s Latest HIV Scare | Emily Shire | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe observed his pale looks, and the distracted wandering of his eyes; but she would not notice either.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterLouis had covered his raging temples with his hand, and he hastened forward with distracted swiftness.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterThe sections, the tribunals, the clubs were to suspend their sittings, that the public attention might not be distracted.
Madame Roland, Makers of History | John S. C. AbbottWhen he reached his own little room, he sat for some time, distracted by conflicting thoughts.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange KiellandMiss Winter has set Mary to read 'To be, or not to be,' and it would have driven me distracted to have stayed there.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
British Dictionary definitions for distracted
/ (dɪˈstræktɪd) /
bewildered; confused
mad
Derived forms of distracted
- distractedly, adverb
- distractedness, noun
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
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