Synonyms and antonyms of Not paying attention in British Thesaurus

inattentive (adjective)

not giving much attention to someone or something

neglectful (adjective)

not giving someone or something enough care or attention

preoccupied (adjective)

thinking about something so much or spending so much time doing something that you do not notice other things or cannot think about other things

distant (adjective)

showing that you are thinking about something else

absent (adjective)

showing that you are not paying attention to what is happening because you are thinking about something else

neglect (noun)

the failure to give someone or something the care or attention that they need

negligence (noun)

failure to give care or attention, especially when this causes harm or damage

detachment (noun)

a feeling of not being involved with someone or something in a close or emotional way

inattention (noun)

a lack of attention or care

in a world of your own ()

not realizing what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else

absently (adverb)

in a way that shows you are thinking about something else or are not listening

absent-minded (adjective)

likely to forget things or to think about something different from what you should be thinking about

abstracted (adjective)

formal thinking about something so much that you do not seem to notice the world around you

deaf to something ()

not willing to listen to something

dreamily (adverb)

in a way that shows you are thinking about pleasant things rather than paying attention

faraway (adjective)

showing that you are thinking of something that is not connected with the present situation

heedless (adjective)

mainly literary someone who is heedless of advice does not pay any attention to it

in a dream ()

not paying attention to what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else

lax (adjective)

not paying enough attention to rules, or not caring enough about quality or safety

like talking to a (brick) wall ()

used for saying that someone does not listen or react to you when you talk

oblivion (noun)

a state in which you do not notice what is happening around you, usually because you are sleeping or very drunk

on/from/living on another planet ()

used for saying that someone does not notice what is happening around them, or has ideas that are not reasonable or practical

on/off the radar (screen) ()

used for saying that someone notices or does not notice an issue or problem

out of sight, out of mind ()

used for saying that when you do not see or hear about something, you do not think about it

spaced out (adjective)

informal not paying attention, or not reacting properly

too busy doing something ()

used for saying that someone is paying too much attention to something, with the result that they do not have time for someone or something else

vacant (adjective)

looking as if you do not understand or are not paying attention

vaguely (adverb)

in a way that shows you are not paying attention