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
But this preoccupation may have been a way to offset the general malaise that plagued her.
—
Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025
Many of the writer-director’s fantastical movies have been inspired by watching his own kids interact and his ongoing preoccupation with family dynamics, including 2015’s The Boy and the Beast and 2012’s Wolf Children.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2025
The central concern of On the Clock is narrower than the preoccupations of its French predecessors.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The phenomenology of evil may have been Dolan's biggest preoccupation.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025
Many of the writer-director’s fantastical movies have been inspired by watching his own kids interact and his ongoing preoccupation with family dynamics, including 2015’s The Boy and the Beast and 2012’s Wolf Children.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2025
The central concern of On the Clock is narrower than the preoccupations of its French predecessors.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The phenomenology of evil may have been Dolan's biggest preoccupation.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preoccupation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preoccupation
obsession
Noun
-
Every weakness is a strength The NHL’s recent obsession with state tax rates is shortsighted.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
-
So long as Sean McVay’s football obsession doesn’t burn him out, the Rams can outsmart most NFL teams.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preoccupation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preoccupation. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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