as in obsession
something about which one is constantly thinking or concerned
the future entomologist's preoccupation with insects from a very early age
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Recent Examples of preoccupation
Managing one’s personal reputation used to be a preoccupation mainly for celebrities and PR firms, but Gen Z’s habitation of digital spaces allows their every move (or post) to be scrutinized and judged by their peers.
—
Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
There’s this preoccupation with deaths from nuclear power, but what’s rarely talked about are all the lives that have been saved.
—Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Constantine’s primary focus, if not fanatical preoccupation, from 1890 on was poetry.
—Gregory Jusdanis, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Practicing medicine is most effective as a selfless endeavor; the healing arts thrive when extricated from material preoccupations.
—David Marks, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
There’s this preoccupation with deaths from nuclear power, but what’s rarely talked about are all the lives that have been saved.
—Big Think, 14 Aug. 2025
Constantine’s primary focus, if not fanatical preoccupation, from 1890 on was poetry.
—Gregory Jusdanis, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025
Practicing medicine is most effective as a selfless endeavor; the healing arts thrive when extricated from material preoccupations.
—David Marks, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupation
obsession
Noun
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His time under the golden arches also seeded an obsession with systems and taught him the importance of keeping operations lean and relentlessly focusing on customers.—
Martina Castellanos,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Typically said when someone copies a trend, latches onto a friend's obsession, or just teases in a playful way.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupation. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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