unfocused

adjective

variants also unfocussed
Definition of unfocusednext
as in muddled

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unfocused Defense and conditioning needs work In what has been a role reversal for a man who was lauded as a stopper in Ann Arbor, Lendeborg’s hot shooting has been balanced out by his unfocused defense. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 July 2026 Heavy on grooves and jams, this album sometimes feels unfocused and indulgent. — Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 Rather than casting wide nets with unfocused stops, officers act on verified information. — Charles "chuck" Broadway, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2026 Feeling scattered and unfocused? — Usa Today, USA Today, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfocused
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfocused
  1. muddled
  2. bewildered
  3. dazed
  4. scatterbrained
  5. confused
  6. bemused
  7. senile
  8. negligent
Adjective
  • There is the muddled terrorist plot, the corrupt politician, the love interest who looks thirty to fifty years Breen’s junior; in fact, there are arguably two of them, and at least one is responsible for the betrayal .
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Xabi Alonso’s Madrid, for stretches of last season, looked tactically muddled and defensively exposed.
    — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of muddled
Adjective
  • That bewildered shake of the head after Meyer's pitch in that video is not a rare occurrence for Raleigh this year.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of bewildered
Adjective
  • When the dazed young woman reels off quotes from an obscure self-help book, her new acolytes take her words as gnomic wisdom.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The cops arrived hours past midnight, turning on the lights to reveal an army of dazed, squinting faces.
    — Taran Dugal, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of dazed
Adjective
  • Susan Blanchard co-starred as Tina Kelly, his scatterbrained housekeeper.
    — Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The novel begins on a Monday afternoon like any other at its three adolescent central characters’ loving but scatterbrained aunt Xía’s house in Miami.
    — Juan Vidal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Definition of scatterbrained
Adjective
  • Also, if the switch from side by side to one-front/one-back happened instantaneously, your brain would get confused about how to interpret the images delivered from each eye, since the setup would be quite different from what you were used to.
    — Abigail Witmer, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Critics of the move have been vocal, and many residents were left confused.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of confused
Adjective
  • To his right, a young man is shooting on his iPhone while his friend interviews a bemused passerby.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The leasing officer who let us in watches from the doorway with a bemused smile as Parks films the space on her phone, clacking around the hardwood floors in nude heels and a backless seafoam dress, a Coach bag slung over her shoulder.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 14 July 2026
Definition of bemused
Adjective
  • Not long ago, a senile American president’s plan to lead democracies in a battle with autocracies was being applauded by post-1989 Atlanticists such as Anne Applebaum and Adam Michnik.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
  • They are being given directions by a senile old man who is losing his mind.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of senile
Adjective
  • In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for designing their apps in ways that caused children to become addicted and suffer mental-health harms.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Under Assembly Bill 2, social media companies could face fines of up to $1 million per child for negligent harm.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of negligent

Browse Nearby Words

unflinching
unfocused
unfold
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unfocused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfocused. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All