"absent-minded"作为形容词，核心含义为因全神贯注于某事物而导致对当前行为或环境的注意力缺失，表现为健忘或心不在焉[1] [2] 。其语义涵盖两类场景：
持续性特质：描述个体长期表现出注意力分散的特点，如"He is an absent-minded scholar who often misplaces his glasses"[4][7]
临时性状态：描述特定情境下的短暂分心，如"She was absent-minded during the meeting due to personal worries"[7]
该词在英式与美式英语中发音一致，拼写需保留连字符以确保规范[1] [3] [5] [6] 。作为前置定语时，可直接修饰名词，如"an absent-minded gesture"（心不在焉的手势）[4] 。
"absent-mindedly"：副词形式，描述以心不在焉的方式完成动作，例句："She absent-mindedly left the keys in the door"[2][3][4][6]
"absent-mindedness"：名词形式，指心神不定的状态或特质，例句："His absent-mindedness led to frequent scheduling errors"[4][7]
"absent-minded professor"：指代常因专注思考而忽视周遭事务的人，源自学术界刻板印象[2]
"The Absent-Minded Waiter"：文学或影视作品中用于刻画服务行业角色的分心特质
特质描述："In his later life he became even more absent-minded"（晚年的他变得更加健忘）
行为观察："The absent-minded boy is always losing his books"（这个心不在焉的男孩老是丢书）[7]
临时状态："Elizabeth absent-mindedly picked a thread from his lapel"（伊丽莎白心不在焉地从他翻领上摘下一根线头）
后果说明："Absent-mindedness caused him to miss the crucial meeting"（心神不定导致他错过了关键会议）[4][7]