scatterbrained

British  

/ ˈskætəˌbreɪnd /

adjective

1. exhibiting or characterized by lack of serious thought or concentration; disorganized; silly

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Explanation

When you're feeling scatterbrained, you're confused and rattled. Many people feel a little scatterbrained when they first wake up in the morning, before they've had their coffee. The adjective scatterbrained is perfect for describing someone who's disorganized, flighty, and maybe a little silly. A scatterbrained teacher might spend ten minutes looking for his glasses before realizing, to the amusement of his class, that they're on his head. You might feel scatterbrained if you show up for an appointment on the wrong day, and you can call yourself a scatterbrain. Both words have been used in English since the mid-1700s to describe easily distracted people.

Example Sentences

Typical of the movie’s scatterbrained nature is the small drama it creates, then discards, about Guthrie’s past: He lived in Germany for years, though no one seems interested in whether this ended before the war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

From that starting point, despite his many successes, there has been a steady pileup of scatterbrained gaffes and mix-ups.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2024

The company enlisted Donald Duck’s scatterbrained cartoon uncle, Prof. Ludwig Von Drake, in a video on votedisney.com to make its case that Disney’s current board members are up to the job.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2024

Admirers call the animal “Bullwinkle” or “Rutt,” the latter in homage to a scatterbrained moose from the movie “Brother Bear.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2023

It is, however, a bewildering, essentially scatterbrained kind of business, expanding steadily without being planned or run by anyone in particular.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas