distracted

[dih-strak-tid]

adjective

1. inattentive; preoccupied.

2. having the attention diverted.

   She tossed several rocks to the far left and slipped past the distracted sentry.

3. rendered incapable of behaving, reacting, etc., in a normal manner, as by worry, remorse, or the like; irrational; disturbed.

distracted

/ dɪˈstræktɪd /

adjective

1. bewildered; confused

2. mad

Other Word Forms

• distractedly adverb
• distractedness noun
• nondistracted adjective
• nondistractedly adverb
• undistracted adjective
• undistractedly adverb
• undistractedness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of distracted¹

First recorded in 1580–90; distract + -ed ²

Example Sentences

These can detect when drivers are distracted, if you’re hard braking and rapidly accelerating or if you’re often driving late at night — all things which signal to insurance companies that you might be a liability.

Read more on MarketWatch

This included making sure "you don't get distracted when you're cooking" and "take pans off the heat, or turn the heat down, if you need to leave the kitchen".

Read more on BBC

They were busy, distracted, packing for a trip on Epstein’s plane.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“If I were distracted by” negative press, she said in an interview when she was given the role, “I would’ve had to throw in the towel a very, very long time ago.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I was distracted, for instance, when Wilder’s Wonka made his grand limping entrance, as the sheepish building behind him was now dwarfed by sparkly, shiny warehouses.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disturbed 
• panicked www.thesaurus.com