absent-mindedly

See also: absentmindedly

English

absent-mindedly (comparative more absent-mindedly, superlative most absent-mindedly)

(manner) Preoccupiedly; in an absent-minded manner. [First attested in the late 19^th century.]^[1]
- 1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Ships That Pass”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 154:
  Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, his hands clasped beneath the tails of his long coat, paces back and forth under the ever-watchful eye of his faithful secretary, Mr. Samuel T. Philander. Twice within the past few minutes he has started absent-mindedly across the tracks in the direction of a near-by swamp, only to be rescued and dragged back by the tireless Mr. Philander.
- 2024 June 10, Thomas Lake, “17 years later, I still remember this act of kindness from another driver”, in CNN‎^[1]:
  On the same highway, I once absent-mindedly cut in front of this enormous jacked-up pickup truck.

preoccupiedly

^ Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absent-mindedly”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 9.