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
Apart from preferred temperature, pros are quick to note that preoccupations with visual perception turn into questions about service.
—
Jessi Roti, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2025
People might also object to any preoccupation with boys’ welfare, or any suggestion that boys should be given more attention than girls.
—Joshua Coleman, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Even though Israel’s fatal campaign against Hezbollah and its deterrence efforts against Iran—as well as Russia’s preoccupation in Ukraine—had left Assad defenseless, his regime’s collapse took Israel by surprise.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2025
Imp brings all the quartet’s chief preoccupations back around: the threat of violence, especially of suicide; questions of fantasy and belief; and the weird eternal recurrence of our own human myths.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Jessi Roti, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2025
People might also object to any preoccupation with boys’ welfare, or any suggestion that boys should be given more attention than girls.
—Joshua Coleman, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
Even though Israel’s fatal campaign against Hezbollah and its deterrence efforts against Iran—as well as Russia’s preoccupation in Ukraine—had left Assad defenseless, his regime’s collapse took Israel by surprise.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2025
Imp brings all the quartet’s chief preoccupations back around: the threat of violence, especially of suicide; questions of fantasy and belief; and the weird eternal recurrence of our own human myths.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupation
obsession
Noun
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Aristotle was able to see his obsessions from a scholarly remove, and to recognize that his drive to spend so much time at depth may have begotten a sort of madness.—
Matthew Gavin Frank
June 12,
Literary Hub,
12 June 2025
-
Visionaries often share a tendency for extremism and fervor, an obsession with purity.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupation. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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