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focused

/ˈfoʊkɪst/
/ˈfʌʊkəst/
IPA guide

When a person is focused on something, they're paying attention to it. When a camera lens or your eyes are focused, they've made the adjustments needed to see clearly. When a beam of light is focused on a thing, it's shining on that thing.

The adjective focused derives from the verb focus, which means to fix on a central point. When you are focused on school, all your attention is fixed on one thing: school. When your telescope is focused on Jupiter, you have aligned the lenses with where Jupiter is in the sky. And when your flashlight is focused on the base of your chin, the shadows cast on the rest of your face make you look really creepy.

Definitions of focused
  1. adjective
    being in focus or brought into focus
    synonyms: focussed
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    unfocused
    (of an image) not being in or brought into focus
  2. adjective
    (of light rays) converging on a point
    focused light rays can set something afire”
    synonyms: focussed
    convergent
    tending to come together from different directions
  3. adjective
    of an optical system (e.g. eye or opera glasses) adjusted to produce a clear image
    synonyms:
    adjusted
    altered to accommodate to certain requirements or bring into a proper relation
Pronunciation
US
/ˈfoʊkɪst/
UK
/ˈfʌʊkəst/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘focused'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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