distracted
Americanadjective
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having the attention diverted.
She tossed several rocks to the far left and slipped past the distracted sentry.
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rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner, as by worry, remorse, or the like; irrational; disturbed.
adjective
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bewildered; confused
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mad
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of distracted
Explanation
When you're distracted, something else has your attention, making you lose focus or become nervous. If a dog keeps barking or a car alarm won't stop going off, it's easy to become distracted: annoyed and not very focused on what you're trying to do. We also say people are distracted when they're worried about something. If you think you might lose your job, you'll be distracted by thinking about it. Knowing a family member has a disease can make you distracted with worries. When you're distracted, your mind is somewhere else.
Vocabulary lists containing distracted
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Out of the Dust
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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 proposal is breathtaking in its audacity, so much so that you could be forgiven for being distracted by all the elements and missing the bigger picture.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Entertainer Josephine Baker, disco icons Dianna Ross and Donna Summer, and Olympic gold-medal-winning sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner - whose dramatic acrylic sets often distracted headline writers from her record-setting performances - have all pioneered nail art.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Just when he’s got you disoriented and distracted, he strikes, boring you to death.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
His ordinary folks freeze up and stop short of saying what they think or scream things they don’t mean, or get distracted from fixing a problem that wouldn’t even take much work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The drum tumbled on, and the distracted flute wandered off.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
