absentminded.

Preoccupied or inattentive in a way that leads to small lapses.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• absentminded gesture
• absentminded professor

On the page

An absentminded gesture sent the papers to the floor.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more absentminded; superlative most absentminded when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.