preoccupation

noun

pre·​oc·​cu·​pa·​tion (ˌ)prē-ˌä-kyə-ˈpā-shən 

1

: an act of preoccupying : the state of being preoccupied

2

a

: extreme or excessive concern with something

a preoccupation with money

b

: something that preoccupies one

We need to better understand the problems and preoccupations of our clients.

Synonyms of preoccupation

• obsession
• problem

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

That preoccupation may mean the child has a more difficult time listening to their fullness cues when presented with those foods. — Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 1 Nov. 2026

Time is one of Butler’s preoccupations—its fleeting nature, its nonlinear experience, its rubberbanding effect on our perception. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026

Now, last weekend, onto that was grafted what looks like a completely different set of people and preoccupations who, most frighteningly, burned down the Limoges town hall. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

The film continues Majidi’s longstanding thematic preoccupation with the moral pressures faced by people on society’s margins, as seen in earlier festival-winning works like The Color of Paradise (1999) and Baran (2001). — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing preoccupation

• self-preoccupation

Rhymes for preoccupation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation