Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Absent-minded, forgetful: Describes a state of being easily distracted, inattentive, or prone to forgetting things due to a lack of concentration or focus. It implies a temporary or habitual lapse in attention.

Usage

• As an adjective: Used to describe a person's state or characteristic.
  • Tôi thật là đãng trí khi lại quên chìa khóa. (I am so absent-minded for forgetting my keys again.)
  • Bà ấy trở nên hơi đãng trí khi có tuổi. (She has become a bit forgetful with age.)
• Common collocations: (an absent-minded nature), (an absent-minded person), (a little forgetful).

Advanced Usage

• "Đãng trí quá!": An exclamation meaning "How absent-minded (of me/us/them)!"
  • Đãng trí quá! Tôi để quên điện thoại ở nhà. (How absent-minded! I left my phone at home.)
• Used to gently criticize or excuse minor mistakes due to forgetfulness.
  • Anh ấy không cố ý đâu, chỉ là hơi đãng trí thôi. (He didn't do it on purpose, he's just a bit absent-minded.)

Variants and Related Words

• Đãng trí is a compound word from (scattered, dispersed) and (mind, intellect). It functions as a single adjective.
• Hay quên (adj): A more common and colloquial synonym meaning "forgetful."
  • Tôi hay quên tên người mới gặp. (I often forget the names of people I just met.)
• Lơ đãng (adj): Inattentive, distracted (often in a specific moment rather than a general trait).
  • Học sinh ngồi lơ đãng nhìn ra cửa sổ. (The student sat inattentively, looking out the window.)

Synonyms

• Hay quên: Forgetful.
• Lơ đễnh: Negligent, careless (stronger, implying a fault).
• Không tập trung: Not concentrated, unfocused.

Notes on Different Meanings

• đãng trí specifically describes a characteristic of a person's memory or attention. It does not describe objects or situations.
• It is generally used for minor, non-serious lapses. For serious medical conditions related to memory loss, terms like (memory impairment) are used.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• (Có) não cá vàng: (To have) a goldfish brain; a playful, modern idiom for being very forgetful.
  • Tôi chắc mình có não cá vàng mất rồi, cứ quên hoài. (I think I have a goldfish brain; I keep forgetting things.)
• Đầu óc trên mây: Head in the clouds; describes someone who is dreamy and not paying attention to practical matters.
  • Cậu ấy lúc nào cũng có vẻ đầu óc trên mây. (He always seems to have his head in the clouds.)

1. Absent-minded