Defocused

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lacking sharpness or clarity in visual focus, producing a blurry or unclear image
2. Appearing visually blurred due to the position or adjustment of the lens not being precise
3. Showing indistinct or fuzzy details as a result of improper focus in optics or photography

Etymology: "Defocused" is the past tense and past participle of "defocus," which is built from the prefix de- and the noun "focus." The core idea is simple: "focus" in its optical sense means the point where light rays converge to form a sharp image, and "defocus" means moving or letting something move away from that point, so the image blurs. The prefix de- comes from Latin "de," meaning "from" or "away," and it has been used in English to form verbs that reverse or remove an action or state, as in "deforest" or "decentralize." Attaching it to "focus" gave English a neat way to describe blur as a departure from the sharp point rather than as a separate quality of the image.

Synonyms: blurry, out-of-focus, hazy, fuzzy, indistinct

Antonyms: focused, clear, sharp, distinct, defined