What does "absent-minded" mean?

Absent in mind; often preoccupied; forgetful or careless due to distraction; easily distracted.

What is a synonym for "absent-minded"?

Common synonyms include: absent, absorbed, abstracted, amnestic, bemused, blocked.

Pronounced //ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd//.

//ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
Absent in mind; often preoccupied; forgetful or careless due to distraction; easily distracted.
"It took the absent-minded man twenty minutes to find his glasses on top of his head."

"Jim is what is called an absent-minded student."

From absent + minded.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.