distracting

1. 1
   adjective

   Drawing attention away from what someone is trying to do, so that it becomes harder for them to concentrate or stay focused.

   The constant notifications on his phone proved too distracting to ignore during the meeting.

   Background chatter in the open office can be distracting for people doing detailed work.

   Similardisruptive

   Note

   A participle that has settled into a true adjective, and grading is the proof. Something can be very distracting, or the most or least distracting of several tasks done at the wheel. Grading also separates it from the verb form. "The noise was very distracting" describes the noise. "The noise was distracting him" reports an action and needs an object.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle of distract.

   The salesman was distracting customers with flashy demonstrations while his partner worked the register.

   Constant emails kept distracting her from finishing the report on time.

   Note

   The verb at work, not a description of a thing. It takes an object (distracting customers, distracting her from the report) and pairs with be in progressive tenses or stands alone as a gerund. It can also carry distract's stronger meaning, to drive someone to distraction or madness. Context decides whether the person is merely diverted or deeply unsettled.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2