Meaning & use
preoccupied
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Thinking so much about one thing that you do not notice what is happening around you.
Grammar: Often used after 'be', 'seem', or 'look'; takes 'with' before the cause: preoccupied with work.
Patterns
- be preoccupied with something
- look preoccupied
- seem preoccupied
You seem preoccupied today—is something on your mind?
He was too preoccupied with his phone to hear the announcement.
She looked preoccupied during the meeting and said very little.
adjectivenot comparableformal
Already in use or taken up by something else, so not available.
Grammar: More formal; usually before a noun or after 'be': the room is preoccupied.
Patterns
- be preoccupied with something
- a preoccupied room
The meeting room is preoccupied until noon.
All the good seats were preoccupied by the early crowd.
Word forms
| comparative | more preoccupied |
|---|---|
| superlative | most preoccupied |
Common combinations
- preoccupied with worry
- He was so preoccupied with worry that he missed his stop.
- look preoccupied
- She looked preoccupied all through dinner.
- too preoccupied to notice
- I was too preoccupied to notice the time.
- preoccupied by thoughts
- He sat quietly, preoccupied by thoughts of home.
Synonyms and how they differ
- absorbed
- More positive; absorbed suggests you are enjoying deep attention, while preoccupied often suggests worry or distraction.
- distracted
- Focuses on the result—your attention has been pulled away; preoccupied focuses on what is filling your mind.
- lost in thought
- A phrase, not a single word; it describes a dreamy state, not necessarily worry.
Opposites
Word family
- preoccupy verb
- To fill someone's mind so that they pay little attention to other things.
- preoccupation noun
- A thought or worry that takes up most of your attention.
Commonly confused: preoccupied or occupied? preoccupied or preoccupied about?
preoccupied vs occupied
Occupied means busy with something or in use; preoccupied means your mind is full of one thought.
preoccupied vs preoccupied about
Learners often say 'preoccupied about', but the standard preposition is 'with': preoccupied with work.
Practice
She was so ___ her exams that she forgot her friend's birthday.
Choose one answer.
The usual pattern is 'preoccupied with' a person, task, or worry. 'About' and 'for' do not fit this adjective, and 'by' is much less common here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preoccupied”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.