absently

comparative more absently · superlative most absently

1. In an absent-minded or abstracted manner.First known use the late 18ᵗʰ century.

   1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Phase the Fourth, Chapter 34, […] his wife, flinging a shawl round her, had come to the outer room and was listening to the man's narrative, her eyes resting absently on the luggage and the drops of rain glistening upon it.

   3 more examples

   When he is in company he will sit absently muttering over a heap of Arabick, or in a Ciceronian attitude, declaim with all the vehemency of eloquence […]

   1773 June, P.L.B., “A Character”, in The Sentimental Magazine, page 179

   Absently, he picked a dew-wet leaf from the hibiscus shrub, crushed it in his palm, put it in his mouth and came towards her, chewing.

   1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Penguin, published 1992, Part One, Chapter 1, p. 38

   The ordeal is a world away from Kira now as she plays games on her new iPad while absently talking about downloading more apps to play music, and voicing her excitement over reuniting soon with her grandfather’s girlfriend.

   2022 April 28, Sandi Sidhu, Roman Tymotsko and Oleksandra Titorova, “After epic journey, orphaned Ukrainian girl is reunited with grandfather”, in CNN

   Synonyms: absent-mindedly, abstractedly