1. A low level of attention or an intense attention to a single object of focus that makes a person unaware of what is going on around him or her: "Absentmindedness is clearly a part of everyone's life when something is merely inconvenient; such as, missing a familiar turn-off on the highway or some are very serious as when absentmindedness can cause accidents, injury, or even a loss of life."

"Jeff's absentmindedness caused him to be late because he took the wrong public transportaion to work."

2. A preoccupation with something that is so great that the ordinary demands of attention on something are ignored: "Cheryl was so lost in her absentmindedness that she was unaware of where she was or what she was supposed to be doing there."