Preoccupied Meaning
/priˈɑkjəˌpaɪd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjPrepossessed; biased.
adjAlready occupied.
"Terrified at this uproar, which disconcerted the magician himself, she ran for shelter into the place which was preoccupied by the other lady […]."— 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle:
adjDescribing a taxonomic name not available for use because it is already used for another.
"In 1924 J. D. Tothill revised the nearctic species in the genus Fabriciella, a name proposed by Bezzi in 1906 to replace Fabricia Rob. D. which is preoccupied."— 1931, John Allen Rowe, “A revision of the males of the nearctic species in the genus Fabriciella (Tachinidae)”, in Annals of the Entomological Society of America, volume 24:
adjConcerned with something else; distracted; giving one's attention elsewhere.
"I was preoccupied with a deadline at work, and I forgot his birthday."
verbsimple past and past participle of preoccupy
Sentence Examples
All day, I have been strangely preoccupied with thoughts of my hometown.
I'm preoccupied with the exam.
She was so preoccupied that she was oblivious of her surroundings.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student was ____ with his phone and did not hear the teacher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was so ____ with the upcoming deadline that he barely noticed the conversation around him.
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student was ____ with his phone and did not hear the teacher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was so ____ with the upcoming deadline that he barely noticed the conversation around him.