Abstractedly

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əbˈstɹæk.tɪd.li/

Definitions

1. In a manner showing lack of attention to one's immediate surroundings or current conversation due to preoccupation with thoughts elsewhere
2. In a way that reflects an inattentiveness to the present situation or discourse owing to deep involvement in unrelated thoughts or ideas
3. In a fashion indicating a disengagement from the immediate environment or dialogue because of being engrossed in contemplation or reflections

Etymology: "Abstractedly" is a plain adverb built from "abstracted" plus the suffix "-ly". "Abstracted" in turn comes from the past participle of the Latin verb "abstrahere", meaning "to draw away", formed from "ab-" ("away from") and "trahere" ("to draw"). The Latin past participle "abstractus" passed into English as the adjective "abstract", and English then added "-ed" to make "abstracted", a word for a mind drawn away from its surroundings. The adverb is simply that adjective with the Old English-derived suffix "-lȳċe", which became "-ly" in Middle English and produced the sense "in a manner that is absent-minded". The "-ly" ending itself has the same ancestry as "like", so the adverb's grammatical ending carries the sense of "in the manner of" the word it modifies.

Synonyms: distractedly, absently

Antonyms: attentively, focused