preoccupied
Americanadjective
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completely engrossed in thought; absorbed.
- Synonyms:
- busy
-
previously occupied; taken; filled.
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Biology. already used as a name for some species, genus, etc., and not available as a designation for any other.
adjective
-
engrossed or absorbed in something, esp one's own thoughts
-
already or previously occupied
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biology (of a taxonomic name) already used to designate a genus, species, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preoccupied
Explanation
When you're preoccupied, you're completely focused on whatever it is that you're doing. It's good to be preoccupied when you're driving, as long as you're preoccupied with the road and not with your cell phone. Have you ever been so preoccupied with another person that you couldn't hear or see anyone else when you were in the same room as them? Well, it sounds like you were in love! You can be preoccupied with a person, a place, or even a hobby, like collecting baseball cards or seashells. Preoccupied can also mean that you are wrapped up in your own thoughts, which is good if you find yourself to be the most amusing person in the world.
Vocabulary lists containing preoccupied
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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I Am Malala
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The Breadwinner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Schlamminger skipped the conference's morning sessions, preoccupied with worries about temperature fluctuations, pressure changes, and other tiny effects that might distort the results.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
In such cases, the creatures may be unaware of the dangers because they are preoccupied, for example, by feeding, she said.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
She’s mother in a more honest sense, like growing up and becoming less preoccupied with yourself, realizing that your parents are very much their own people, with their own unique histories.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
But EV sales — despite being the cash engine fueling Tesla’s massive ambitions — have become less of a concern for investors, who are now preoccupied by Tesla’s robotaxi service.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
Sometimes I could scarcely move through a room, I was so preoccupied with not walking or bending or crouching like them.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
