UNFOCUSED Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

unfocused

adjective

variants also unfocussed

Definition of unfocused

as in muddled

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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 Former staffers said the focus on winning attention led Hilton to be unfocused, chasing projects based on the potential for clicks and coverage rather than business value. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 The real reason is that his report is an unfocused jumble of personal testimony, with no evident attempt to corroborate the lurid and sometimes unbelievable accusations made by anonymous sources. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026 Despite the conversations on AI and the state of the art market, the Summit seemed oddly unfocused. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 21 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for unfocused

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfocused

Adjective

Made with gin, Campari, lemon, simple syrup, and muddled white grapes, it was created in 2001 by Vincenzo Errico in London.

— Amy Cavanaugh, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Garfield, sensitive and earthy, is our bellwether as the events descend into bloody carnage dictated by muddled agendas.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of muddled

Adjective

What appears before the bewildered trio is a boy with a face resembling a frog’s, named Fūsuke.

— Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of bewildered

Adjective

But the man simply stood there with a dazed expression on his face, swaying gently in the living room of their small, cramped flat, like a lone tree in the breeze.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Laiken Randolph appeared dazed, and possibly on drugs, officers remarked.

— Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 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

Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of confused thinking about this at campuses across the country.

— Jens Ludwig, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
The long road ahead After being charged with murder on Friday, Francis, dressed in a white Tyvek suit and appearing confused at court, said nothing as she was ordered held without bail for her daughter’s death.

— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of confused

Adjective

Somewhere, James Baldwin looks on bemused as Ming-Trent tries to turn him into a god of war.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Or, for those on his level or a step ahead of it, maybe just bemused chatter at a coastal dinner party in desperate need of a conversation steroid shot.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 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

Officers arrested Mia Dawson, 20, in relation to the incident on charges of operating while impaired, reckless operation of a vehicle, hit-and-run driving, vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injuring.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
The rallies have become emblematic of long-simmering, intergenerational anger among people who say their calls for social and political change are going unmet by negligent governments.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of negligent

Browse Nearby Words

unflinching

unfocused

unfold

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Style

“Unfocused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfocused. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unfocused

adjective

Example Sentences

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