Preoccupation Meaning
/ˌpɹiɑkjʊˈpeɪʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe state of being preoccupied or an idea that preoccupies the mind; enthrallment.
nounThe act of occupying something before someone else.
Sentence Examples
My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'
Preoccupation with sex is the basis of all mental activity.
CEFR Practice Quiz
His constant ____ with money caused him to forget his own anniversary.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her main ____ during the weeks before the exam was ensuring she had covered every topic.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French préoccupation, from Latin praeoccupātiō. By surface analysis, pre- + occupation or preoccupy + -ation.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The same preoccupation with developing a conceptual framework is evident in David Blank's Venezuela: Politics in a Petroleum Republic, a modified version of Blank's early theses."
— 1987, Latin American Research Review, page 238:
"Halalisation signifies a powerful and growing preoccupation with the proliferation of […]"
— 2014, Yeoh Guan, The Other Kuala Lumpur, page 96:
"At the same time that they invoke Christian identity, the civilizationists also stress their secularism. But there is no contradiction between the populist right’s Christianism and its secularism, since both derive from a preoccupation with Islam."
— 2017 December 6, Rogers Brubaker, “The New Language of European Populism”, in brubaker.scholar.ss.ucla.edu, page 4:
"As an adult, I became a journalist whose beat is the environment. In a way, I’ve turned my youthful preoccupations into a profession."
— 2020 April 26, Elizabeth Kolbert, “Why we won't avoid a climate catastrophe”, in National Geographic:
"Uncertain how to address a French preoccupation with security and immigration, and facing a generational fracture over identity politics, the left’s disarray has allowed Mr. Macron to tilt rightward for votes."
— 2021 September 2, Roger Cohen, “The French Left Is in Disarray, but Here Comes Anne Hidalgo”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2021:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His constant ____ with money caused him to forget his own anniversary.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Her main ____ during the weeks before the exam was ensuring she had covered every topic.