Spanish word

distraído

Pronunciation

IPA/distɾaˈiðo/

Meaning

  • adjectiveabsent-minded

Example

Ella siempre está distraída y olvida las llaves.

She is always absent-minded and forgets her keys.

Illustration for distraído (absent-minded)

More examples

En reuniones a menudo estoy distraído y no sigo la conversación.

At meetings I am often absent-minded and don't follow the conversation.

Core concept

A mind pulled away from the present, causing small oversights.

Common phrases

  • estar distraído

    be absent-minded

  • andar distraído

    be spacey

Similar words

despistado: Attention drifts briefly, making small everyday details easy to miss.
olvidadizo: Tends to forget things easily, showing a habitual, general forgetfulness.
inatento: Fails to pay attention to what is immediately present, showing inattentiveness.
absorto: Becomes deeply absorbed in thought, ignoring surroundings and missing external cues.

Definition in Spanish

Que la mente se aparta del presente y provoca descuidos o falta de atención.

Word origin

From medieval Latin distractus, the past participle of distrahere 'to pull apart', Spanish distraído derives the sense of attention being pulled away.

Usage tips

  • Speakers often frame distraction as a temporary lapse, so phrases like 'Se me pasó', 'Lo siento, me distraje', or 'Estaba distraído' are common instead of 'Soy distraído'.

Other meanings

  • distractedadjective
  • spaceyadjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word