preoccupation

American  

[pree-ok-yuh-pey-shuhn, pree-ok-] / priˌɒk yəˈpeɪ ʃən, ˌpri ɒk- /

noun

1. the state of being preoccupied. preoccupy.

2. an act of preoccupying.

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preoccupation British  

/ priːˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən, priːˈɒkjʊpənsɪ /

noun

1. the state of being preoccupied, esp mentally

2. something that holds the attention or preoccupies the mind

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Other Word Forms

• overpreoccupation noun
• self-preoccupation noun

Etymology

Origin of preoccupation

1530–40; < Latin praeoccupātiōn- (stem of praeoccupātiō ) a taking possession beforehand. See pre-, occupation

Example Sentences

Instead, Mr. Oliver suggests, among other things, meditation and yoga, explaining how these Eastern practices can help up transcend our personal preoccupations and loosen the constraints of the ego’s self-obsession.

From The Wall Street Journal

Her preoccupation with archival minutiae fills space that could have been better spent.

From The Wall Street Journal

Soon Conor’s two preoccupations will unite in an offbeat way when a bug gets crushed in his slow-acting printer while it’s gurgling out a portrait.

From The Wall Street Journal

Obtaining dollars to buy raw materials like oil, flour or rice to then refine and process became Kazin’s chief preoccupation.

From MarketWatch

Mr. Foster dismisses their preoccupations with bionic implants or humanoid robots as MacGuffins—Alfred Hitchcock’s term for a device that momentarily advances a movie plot but ultimately fails to develop into anything.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fixation
• obsession