absent-minded

absent-minded — 形容詞

1. easily forgetting everyday things or not noticing what goes on nearby, because y

1.形容詞B2
釋義

心不在焉

因心思飄走而常忘東忘西或沒注意到周遭

easily forgetting everyday things or not noticing what goes on nearby, because your thoughts are somewhere else entirely

例句

Adaeze was so absent-minded this morning that she put the milk in the cupboard.

Adaeze 今天早上心不在焉，竟然把牛奶放進櫥櫃裡了。

so absent-minded that + clause for describing a result of distraction

The absent-minded professor walked into the wrong classroom three times last week.

那位心不在焉的教授上星期三次走錯了教室。

attributive: absent-minded + [person role noun]

同義詞
  • forgetful

    means you often forget things, but not necessarily because your mind is elsewhere

  • distracted

    usually a temporary state caused by something external pulling your attention away

  • preoccupied

    deeply absorbed in one particular thought, often ignoring everything else

  • scatterbrained

    informal; suggests a disorganised, flighty personality rather than deep thought

反義詞
  • attentive

    paying careful attention to what is happening around you

  • mindful

    consciously aware of the present moment and your surroundings

文法句型

absent-minded + [person noun]

[be] + absent-minded

so absent-minded that + clause

too absent-minded to + verb

用法筆記

Typically describes a long-term personality trait rather than a one-off moment of distraction. For temporary distraction, 'distracted' or 'preoccupied' fit better.

常見錯誤

❌My grandfather is very absentminded.
✅My grandfather is very absent-minded.
💡This adjective always takes a hyphen between 'absent' and 'minded.'
❌She forgot her bag because she was forgetful today.' (when her mind was elsewhere)
✅She forgot her bag because she was absent-minded today.
💡'Forgetful' just means you often forget; 'absent-minded' means your mind drifted away.