PREOCCUPATION Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

preoccupation

noun

(ˌ)prē-ˌä-kyə-ˈpā-shən

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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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.

Recent Examples of preoccupation Koepp was referring, of course, to Spielberg’s multi-film preoccupation with visitors from outer space. —

Darryn King, Vanity Fair, 19 May 2026 Pick your new preoccupation this weekend. —

Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 15 May 2026 Jobs are a central preoccupation of hers. —

Literary Hub, 15 May 2026 That game illuminates the tension between self and community that has fueled the show’s longevity, and reflects the preoccupations of a country that has always been torn between the two. —

Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for preoccupation

Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupation

Noun

In fact, while bitcoin’s been in a price slump, the stock market has notched several all-time record highs and capital is rotating elsewhere as investors chase the chip rally and their obsession with AI infrastructure grows.

— Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Interest in the author’s life can curdle into obsession, as in Henry James’s The Aspern Papers, in which the narrator embraces any deception necessary to acquire the letters of a dead poet.

— Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026