woolgathering
- adjective
- /ˈwuːlˌɡæðərɪŋ/
- Archaic
:
soñador
- His woolgathering expression told me he wasn't listening.
Examples
-
Her woolgathering demeanor indicated she was daydreaming rather than paying attention to the discussion.
-
She was in a woolgathering mood during the lecture.
-
During meetings, he is often lost in woolgathering and misses key points.
-
She spent the afternoon woolgathering instead of doing her work.
-
During the meeting, he appeared quite woolgathering.
-
He often drifts into woolgathering during long conversations, losing track of what was said.
-
In class, she frequently found herself woolgathering, imagining adventures instead of focusing on the lesson.
Synonyms
13
3.3
Looks lost in thought and not paying attention
1
7.3
Looking dreamy and lost in thought, not paying attention
1
5.0
Absorbed in thought and not aware of your surroundings
1
9.1
Confused and unclear in thinking or planning
Appearing lost in thought with a soft, unfocused look
Having confused, unclear thoughts that do not make sense
Antonyms
How Dreamy
Surface Forms
Morphology
woolgathering = woolgather (opaque) = wool + gather + ing
Derived from the verb 'woolgather' via the participial '-ing' forming an adjectival sense; the morphological process is clear though the meaning is figurative.
Etymology
Woolgathering as an adjective uses the same picture of someone picking loose wool while wandering and not paying attention. So if someone looks woolgathering, they are 'lost in thought' or absent-minded.