as in obsessions
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 preoccupations
Perhaps this is particularly noticeable because the thematic preoccupations of the film are so trite.
—
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Are the themes in this movie in any way a reflection of your own preoccupations?
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Justice notes these preoccupations often impact our wellness in subtle and overlooked ways that can add up to significant harm like sleep disturbance, irritability, uncontrolled worry, ruminating about the ‘what ifs,’ exhaustion, burnout, and over-functioning.
—Essence, 27 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
Sanger vividly conveys the immediacy of decision-making, showing how short-term preoccupations shape the long term.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
His camera’s graceful gyrations render all the more explicit the inextricable bond of dramas and their landscapes, embodying the film’s ideal of a physical and aesthetic connection with nature—its preoccupations with the spiritual dimensions of landscape and climate, color and texture.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Projecting stability and control has long been one of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s biggest preoccupations, its implicit justification for limiting citizens’ civil liberties.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Are the themes in this movie in any way a reflection of your own preoccupations?
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2025
Justice notes these preoccupations often impact our wellness in subtle and overlooked ways that can add up to significant harm like sleep disturbance, irritability, uncontrolled worry, ruminating about the ‘what ifs,’ exhaustion, burnout, and over-functioning.
—Essence, 27 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
Sanger vividly conveys the immediacy of decision-making, showing how short-term preoccupations shape the long term.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
His camera’s graceful gyrations render all the more explicit the inextricable bond of dramas and their landscapes, embodying the film’s ideal of a physical and aesthetic connection with nature—its preoccupations with the spiritual dimensions of landscape and climate, color and texture.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Projecting stability and control has long been one of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s biggest preoccupations, its implicit justification for limiting citizens’ civil liberties.
—Vivian Wang, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupations
obsessions
Noun
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Seeking to chronicle some of Jacobs’ interests and obsessions, Coppola can veer too far afield.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Happy unofficial start of fall, and the beginning of several new TV obsessions that will premiere this month.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupations. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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