Standard Lemma guide

absent-minded

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˌæb.sn̩tˈmaɪn.dɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • It took the absent-minded man twenty minutes to find his glasses on top of his head.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From absent + minded.

Across languages

Translations

59 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Acehnese: tahe — absent in mind
  • Belarusian: рассе́яны (rassjéjany) — absent in mind
  • Bulgarian: разсе́ян (razséjan) — absent in mind
  • Bulgarian: заве́ян (zavéjan) — absent in mind
  • Catalan: distret — absent in mind
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鬆散 /松散 — absent in mind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 心不在焉 (xīnbùzàiyān) — absent in mind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鬆散 /松散 (sōngsǎn) — absent in mind
  • Czech: roztržitý — absent in mind
  • Danish: åndsfraværende — absent in mind
  • Danish: distræt — absent in mind
  • Dutch: verstrooid — absent in mind
  • Dutch: afwezig — absent in mind
  • Dutch: elders met zijn gedachten — absent in mind
  • Dutch: er niet bij — absent in mind
  • Finnish: hajamielinen — absent in mind
  • Finnish: poissaoleva — absent in mind
  • French: distrait — absent in mind
  • Galician: distraído — absent in mind
  • Galician: pampo — absent in mind
  • Galician: apirolado — absent in mind
  • German: zerstreut — absent in mind
  • German: geistesabwesend — absent in mind
  • German: schusselig — absent in mind
  • Hebrew: מפוזר (mefuzár) — absent in mind
  • Hungarian: szórakozott — absent in mind
  • Irish: dearmadach — absent in mind
  • Italian: svanito — absent in mind
  • Japanese: ぼんやり (bon'yari) — absent in mind
  • Japanese: 上の空の (uwa-no sora-no) — absent in mind
  • Macedonian: расеан (rasean) — absent in mind
  • Māori: hinengaro makere — absent in mind
  • Māori: wareware — absent in mind
  • Māori: pakihaha — absent in mind
  • Norwegian Bokmål: distré — absent in mind
  • Norwegian Bokmål: åndsfraværende — absent in mind
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: distré — absent in mind
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: åndsfråverande — absent in mind
  • Polish: roztargniony — absent in mind
  • Polish: rozkojarzony — absent in mind
  • Portuguese: distraído — absent in mind
  • Portuguese: desatento — absent in mind
  • Portuguese: avoado — absent in mind
  • Romanian: absent — absent in mind
  • Romanian: distrat — absent in mind
  • Russian: рассе́янный (rasséjannyj) — absent in mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: rasejan — absent in mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: расејан — absent in mind
  • Serbo-Croatian: rasijan — absent in mind
  • Spanish: distraído — absent in mind
  • Spanish: despistado — absent in mind
  • Spanish: desatento — absent in mind
  • Swedish: tankspridd — absent in mind
  • Swedish: disträ — absent in mind
  • Tagalog: tagulimot — absent in mind
  • Turkish: unutkan — absent in mind
  • Turkish: dalgın — absent in mind
  • Ottoman Turkish: طالغین (dalgın) — absent in mind
  • Woiwurrung: abenden ngargit — absent in mind