preoccupation

noun

pre·​oc·​cu·​pa·​tion (ˌ)prē-ˌä-kyə-ˈpā-shən How to pronounce preoccupation (audio)
1
: an act of preoccupying : the state of being preoccupied
2
a
: extreme or excessive concern with something
b
: something that preoccupies one

Examples of preoccupation in a Sentence

We need to better understand the problems and preoccupations of our clients. the future entomologist's preoccupation with insects from a very early age
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But these names, which signal both over-the-top satire and dramatization of extreme politics, are some of the small nods and Easter Eggs that Anderson includes in his script for One Battle After Another, which distill the preoccupations of novelist Thomas Pynchon. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2025 Although Ed may have been intrigued by Jorgensen’s life, this, along with Richard Speck’s role in the series, seems more of a fetishization and misplaced preoccupation in a narrative having nothing to do with transgender people. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025 Loeb has long had a preoccupation with extraterrestrials – even co-founding the Galileo Project, a research program at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics dedicated to the search for alien life. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025 In a cheeky aside directed at Sony Pictures Classics co-head Micheal Barker who was at the dinner, Quinn recalled how one of his preoccupations at Samuel Goldwyn had been figuring out what titles their rivals were getting access to. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for preoccupation

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preoccupation was in 1572

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Cite this Entry

“Preoccupation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preoccupation. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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