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

Derived Forms

• disˈtractedly, adverb
• disˈtractedness, noun

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of distracted¹

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

Example Sentences

They are easily distracted and taken advantage of.

From Salon

Schultz said that he expects Trump's legal team to request the case be put on hold until after his presidency because Trump will be "too distracted" with his presidency to continue with the prosecution once he takes office.

From Salon

The verbal fireworks seem inevitable: that is the Trump way but don’t get distracted by them, is the mantra for some.

From BBC

“Through these four years, because we have been so distracted with all of the lawsuits and the fighting, really what we want is to be able to go back to what we do — and that is really do our jobs and protect people, prosecute crimes and keep our community safe,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Although no one was hurt in the emergency landing, the sight of a small gray plane on the side of the highway may have caused two pickup drivers to become distracted and crash, according to CHP.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• inattentive
• preoccupied