| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| abstracted, absent, absent-minded, agitated, distracted (adjs.), abstractedly, absently, absent-mindedly, agitatedly, distractedly (advs.) |
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| Someone abstracted or figuratively absent is wrapped up in thought; someone distracted is shaken, clearly unable to concentrate; someone agitated is excited, upset; someone absent-minded is forgetful and inattentive. The adverbs are similarly distinctive. See also DISTRAIT. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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