| Library / English Dictionary |
PREOCCUPATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of taking occupancy before someone else does
Synonyms:
preoccupancy; preoccupation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("preoccupation" is a kind of...):
moving in; occupancy; occupation (the act of occupying or taking possession of a building)
Derivation:
preoccupy (occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The mental state of being preoccupied by something
Synonyms:
absorption; engrossment; preoccupancy; preoccupation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("preoccupation" is a kind of...):
cognitive state; state of mind (the state of a person's cognitive processes)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "preoccupation"):
abstractedness; abstraction (preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else)
absentmindedness (preoccupation so great that the ordinary demands on attention are ignored)
Derivation:
preoccupy (engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively)
Sense 3
Meaning:
An idea that preoccupies the mind and holds the attention
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("preoccupation" is a kind of...):
idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "preoccupation"):
fixation; obsession (an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone)
hang-up (an emotional preoccupation)
hobbyhorse (a topic to which one constantly reverts)
self-absorption (preoccupation with yourself to the exclusion of everything else)
Derivation:
preoccupy (engage or engross the interest or attention of beforehand or occupy urgently or obsessively)
