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preoccupation

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


NOUN
mental state
Synonyms


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.

He has turned the subject of being Israeli into a career-long preoccupation, approached with a sense of queasiness.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Her preoccupation with her students and her young son leaves Dick feeling alienated and lonely.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

This preoccupation resurfaces at Regen in a large-scale print of 2023’s “Flight Honolulu to Guam,” revealing a star field above the clouds.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

Refining this figure has been an ongoing preoccupation of cosmology.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson