idle or absent-minded indulgence in fantasy; daydreaming
Derived forms
woolgatherer (ˈwoolˌgatherer)
noun
woolgathering in American English
(ˈwulˌɡæðərɪŋ)
noun
1.
indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness
His woolgathering was a handicap in school
2.
gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes
Word origin
[1545–55; wool + gathering]This word is first recorded in the period 1545–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: caste, integral, inversion, offset, rounding
Synonyms of 'woolgathering'
daydreaming, dreaming, musing, preoccupation
More Synonyms of woolgathering
(noun)
Definition
idle or absent-minded daydreaming
Synonyms
daydreaming
dreaming
musing
She mistook his musing for purposeful loitering.
preoccupation
He kept sinking back into gloomy preoccupation.
abstraction
He noticed her abstraction and asked, `What's bothering you?'
reverie
The voice brought him out of his reverie.
inattention
Evidence had been destroyed as a result of a moment's inattention.
absent-mindedness
You will have to put up with my occasional absent-mindedness.
building castles in the air
Opposites
attention
,
concentration
,
observation
,
awareness
,
heed
,
vigilance
,
alertness
,
thoughtfulness
,
watchfulness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of absent-mindedness
You will have to put up with my occasional absent-mindedness.
Synonyms
forgetfulness,
musing,
preoccupation,
abstraction,
daydreaming,
carelessness,
vagueness,
inattention,
dreaminess,
obliviousness,
lapse of memory,
absence of mind,
woolgathering,
heedlessness,
distractedness
in the sense of abstraction
Definition
the quality of being abstract or abstracted
He noticed her abstraction and asked, `What's bothering you?'
Synonyms
absent-mindedness,
musing,
preoccupation,
daydreaming,
vagueness,
remoteness,
absence,
inattention,
dreaminess,
obliviousness,
absence of mind,
pensiveness,
woolgathering,
distractedness,
bemusedness
in the sense of inattention
Evidence had been destroyed as a result of a moment's inattention.