as in distracted
lost in thought and unaware of one's surroundings or actions
too preoccupied with her worries to enjoy the meal
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interested
to be thought about or worried about by (someone) very often or constantly
The question of life after death has preoccupied many philosophers.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preoccupied
Matt Brown,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
The phrase recalls the socialist Gilded Age mayors whom critics derided as too preoccupied with managing public works projects.
—
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
From virtually the first frames, director Andrew Stanton is preoccupied with illustrating the melancholic condition of toys that have been consigned to the ash heap of history, or, at least, of childhood.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupied
Adjective
The phrase recalls the socialist Gilded Age mayors whom critics derided as too preoccupied with managing public works projects.
—
Matt Brown,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
The phrase recalls the socialist Gilded Age mayors whom critics derided as too preoccupied with managing public works projects.
—
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Verb
Is she preoccupied by what she’s already lost — or by how much fighting lies ahead?
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
From virtually the first frames, director Andrew Stanton is preoccupied with illustrating the melancholic condition of toys that have been consigned to the ash heap of history, or, at least, of childhood.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for preoccupied
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupied
Adjective
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Some big rubber balls had been tossed in to keep them distracted.
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The problem, Larson said, is that Congress was highly distracted at the time with passing the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
Verb
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What interested him was the gap between the performance of power and whatever lives underneath it.
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That’s a cheap and easy analogy, but that’s what interested me to want to make this show.
Verb
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That journey validated why Coward became intrigued with joining an independent sports agency.
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But Kaplan also was intrigued by other labs’ findings that mast cells could fend off a common type of skin bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus.
Verb
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The naturalist George Forster was fascinated by plants and animals, but he was also driven by a passionate belief in the rights of all people regardless of race, gender, or social status.
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Denby, as a critic, was fascinated by the great dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, as much for his expressions as for his torso, arms, or legs.
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupied. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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