PREOCCUPIED

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does preoccupied mean? 

• PREOCCUPIED (adjective)
  The adjective PREOCCUPIED has 2 senses:

1. deeply absorbed in thought

2. having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

  Familiarity information: PREOCCUPIED used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PREOCCUPIED (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deeply absorbed in thought

Synonyms:

bemused; lost; preoccupied

Context example:

a preoccupied frown

Similar:

thoughtful (exhibiting or characterized by careful thought)

Derivation:

preoccupancy (the mental state of being preoccupied by something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something

Synonyms:

haunted; obsessed; preoccupied; taken up

Context example:

he was taken up in worry for the old woman

Similar:

concerned (feeling or showing worry or solicitude)

Derivation:

preoccupancy (the mental state of being preoccupied by something)

 Context examples 

‘Ah!’ said he, ‘you must not think me rude if I passed you without a word, my dear young lady. I was preoccupied with business matters.’

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

After a little rambling talk, the lawyer led up to the subject which so disagreeably preoccupied his mind.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Your partner might feel you’ve been so preoccupied at work that you’ve neglected your relationship, one in need of loving attention.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Sometimes, preoccupied with her work, she sang the refrain very low, very lingeringly; "A long time ago" came out like the saddest cadence of a funeral hymn.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

They were totally preoccupied.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

You will be very preoccupied with work this month (necessarily so), and your partner may feel diminished by the lack of attention you can give.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)