absent-minded

[ab-suh nt-mahyn-did] /ˈæb səntˈmaɪn dɪd/

adjective

so lost in thought that one does not realize what one is doing, what is happening, etc.; preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one's immediate surroundings.

Also, absentminded.

Origin

1850-55

Related forms

absent-mindedly, adverb

absent-mindedness, noun

Synonyms

withdrawn, musing, daydreaming, dreamy, forgetful, distracted. Absent-minded, abstracted, oblivious all mean inattentive to immediate surroundings. Absent-minded suggests an unintentional wandering of the mind from the present: an absent-minded committee member. Abstracted implies that the mind has been drawn away from the immediate present by reflection upon some engrossing subject: an abstracted air. Oblivious implies absorption in some thought that causes one to be completely forgetful of or unaware of one's surroundings: oblivious of danger.

Antonyms

attentive, alert, heedful, observant.

Examples from the web for absent-minded

Her family think her absent-minded, distrait, aloof and generally useless.
She held them off, without sounding nobly grief-stricken or unnaturally cheerful or absent-minded or confused.
In that respect, he more closely resembles an absent-minded professor than a master of the universe.
His speech pattern is a jumble of quick bursts that alternate with long pauses worthy of an absent-minded professor.

British Dictionary definitions for absent-minded

absent-minded

adjective

preoccupied; forgetful; inattentive

Derived Forms

absent-mindedly, adverb
absent-mindedness, noun