absent-minded
adjective
ab·sent-mind·ed
ˌab-sənt-ˈmīn-dəd 
variants
or less commonly absentminded
1
a
: lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions : preoccupied
was too absent-minded to notice what time it was
b
: tending to forget or fail to notice things : given to absence of mind (see absence sense 3)
an absent-minded person prone to forgetting appointments
2
: indicative of or resulting from preoccupation or absence of mind
gave an absent-minded reply
absentmindedly
adverb
or less commonly absent-mindedly
absentmindedness
noun
or less commonly absent-mindedness
Examples of absent-minded in a Sentence
Her absentminded husband forgot their anniversary.
She did the chores in an absentminded way.
Recent Examples on the Web
Colleagues described him as an absent-minded professor type.
—
Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
The French might be sad if Emily leaves for Italy, but Americans in Paris are unlikely to shed any tears; many of them have had enough of the Chicago native’s absent-minded cultural blunders.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2024
Levey, who didn’t keep documentation of his side of the bartering, acknowledges that a less absent-minded customer would have demanded clearer accounting.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
The seemingly absent-minded senior only occasionally uses his toy to talk to nurses, who are largely charmed by the mostly mute Dave and his silent doll.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2024
But the cameras captured slightly different angles, and Biden’s critics seized on one of them to push their allegation that Biden, 81, is absent-minded and too old to be president.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 14 June 2024
And Jason Heil grounds the show’s most whimsical character, the absent-minded sorcerer Merlyn.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2024
But in the realm of the happenstance gesture—the absent-minded tug of a shirt collar, maybe, or a glance so fleeting the camera could almost miss it—Gosling may be Brando’s truest heir.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 May 2024
The Germans were voting, in the absent-minded way of democratic voters everywhere, for easy reassurances, for stability, with classes siding against their historical enemies.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
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Katie Hafner, Scientific American, 31 Oct. 2024
The French might be sad if Emily leaves for Italy, but Americans in Paris are unlikely to shed any tears; many of them have had enough of the Chicago native’s absent-minded cultural blunders.
—Colette Davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Oct. 2024
Levey, who didn’t keep documentation of his side of the bartering, acknowledges that a less absent-minded customer would have demanded clearer accounting.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
The seemingly absent-minded senior only occasionally uses his toy to talk to nurses, who are largely charmed by the mostly mute Dave and his silent doll.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2024
But the cameras captured slightly different angles, and Biden’s critics seized on one of them to push their allegation that Biden, 81, is absent-minded and too old to be president.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 14 June 2024
And Jason Heil grounds the show’s most whimsical character, the absent-minded sorcerer Merlyn.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 June 2024
But in the realm of the happenstance gesture—the absent-minded tug of a shirt collar, maybe, or a glance so fleeting the camera could almost miss it—Gosling may be Brando’s truest heir.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 1 May 2024
The Germans were voting, in the absent-minded way of democratic voters everywhere, for easy reassurances, for stability, with classes siding against their historical enemies.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near absent-minded
Cite this Entry
“Absent-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absent-minded. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
absentminded
adjective
ab·sent·mind·ed
ˌab-sənt-ˈmīn-dəd
: lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions
absentmindedly
adverb
absentmindedness
noun
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