Meaning & use
distractingly
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Meaning
adverbnot comparable
In a way that pulls your attention away from what you are trying to do.
Grammar: Often modifies an adjective: distractingly bright; or a verb: it blinked distractingly.
Patterns
- distractingly loud
- distractingly beautiful
The neighbor's music was distractingly loud during the exam.
She was distractingly good-looking, and the whole room noticed.
The screen flickered distractingly while he spoke.
Common combinations
- distractingly loud
- The fan was distractingly loud.
- distractingly bright
- The lights were distractingly bright.
- distractingly beautiful
- The view was distractingly beautiful.
- distractingly close
- The cars passed distractingly close to the window.
- smell distractingly good
- The kitchen smelled distractingly good.
Synonyms and how they differ
- disruptively
- Disruptively suggests breaking up an activity entirely, while distractingly only draws attention away.
- annoyingly
- Annoyingly focuses on irritation, but distractingly focuses on loss of attention.
- diverting
- Diverting is gentler and may be pleasant, but distractingly implies it was a problem.
Opposites
Word family
- distract verb
- to draw attention away
- distraction noun
- something that stops you concentrating
- distracting adjective
- causing loss of concentration
- distracted adjective
- unable to concentrate
Commonly confused: distractingly or distractedly?
distractingly vs distractedly
Distractedly describes a person acting as if their mind is elsewhere. Distractingly describes something that pulls others' attention.
Practice
The clock ticked ___ loudly, so no one could concentrate on the test.
Choose one answer.
Distractingly describes something that pulls attention away. Distractedly describes a person who is not focused, the common mix-up.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distractingly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.