Meaning & use
distracted
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Unable to give full attention to something because something else has taken your focus.
Grammar: Often after be or get, with by: distracted by the noise.
Patterns
- distracted by something
- distracted from something
I was distracted by a message on my phone.
The students were easily distracted by the construction outside.
She was too distracted to notice the red light.
adjectivecomparableliterary
Extremely worried or upset, so that you cannot think clearly.
Grammar: Slightly literary, often with with: distracted with worry.
Patterns
- distracted with worry
- distracted with grief
She was distracted with worry when her son did not come home.
He paced the room, distracted and silent.
The mother, distracted with fear, searched the park.
Word forms
| comparative | more distracted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most distracted |
Common combinations
- easily distracted
- The puppy is easily distracted by squirrels.
- distracted by something
- He was distracted by the noise in the hall.
- distracted driver
- A distracted driver ran the red light.
- look distracted
- You look distracted today; is something wrong?
- distracted from the task
- She was distracted from the task by a phone call.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inattentive
- Inattentive describes a general habit of not paying attention, while distracted points to something that has pulled your attention away.
- preoccupied
- Preoccupied suggests your mind is busy with a worry or thought, not with outside interruptions.
- absent-minded
- Absent-minded describes a forgetful personality, whereas distracted is often a temporary state.
- diverted
- Diverted is about attention or traffic being pointed elsewhere, and is a more formal description.
Opposites
Word family
- distract verb
- to draw attention away from something
- distraction noun
- something that draws attention away
- distracting adjective
- causing a loss of focus
- distractedly adverb
- in a way that shows attention is elsewhere
Commonly confused: distracted or distraught?
distracted vs distraught
Distraught means extremely upset and does not mean unfocused, though the two words look alike.
Practice
I made a mistake on the form because I was ____ by the television in the next room.
Choose one answer.
After was, the passive-like adjective distracted fits with by. Distracting would mean the speaker caused the distraction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distracted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.