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
The phenomenology of evil may have been Dolan's biggest preoccupation.
—
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
My parents’ preoccupation with privacy was entangled with the secret of my mother’s birthmark.
—Geoff Dyer, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Nicely shot by cinematographer Jackson Hunt with a constantly moving camera, Bunny has a talented leading man in Stark, whose hapless expressions and preoccupation with staying alive and skirting the law keep us royally entertained along with the rest of this rag-tag ensemble.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
These videos present an unattainable life American society has been obsessed with fitness and beauty for decades, but for much of that time, such preoccupations were considered unmasculine, writes historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
My parents’ preoccupation with privacy was entangled with the secret of my mother’s birthmark.
—Geoff Dyer, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Nicely shot by cinematographer Jackson Hunt with a constantly moving camera, Bunny has a talented leading man in Stark, whose hapless expressions and preoccupation with staying alive and skirting the law keep us royally entertained along with the rest of this rag-tag ensemble.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
These videos present an unattainable life American society has been obsessed with fitness and beauty for decades, but for much of that time, such preoccupations were considered unmasculine, writes historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupation
obsession
Noun
-
Others block entire afternoons for their obsession.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
-
And on the high-school football team, the comedian remembers trying to pass off his pop-star obsessions as pure, red-blooded machismo.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupation. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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