preoccupation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her preoccupation with archival minutiae fills space that could have been better spent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The peculiar alchemy that causes us to click with some people and not with others—romantically or platonically—has been a preoccupation of poets for centuries, but it has only recently drawn the attention of scientists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

Obtaining dollars to buy raw materials like oil, flour or rice to then refine and process became Kazin’s chief preoccupation.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

I would have leaped to collaborate with her on any project, but fortunately nuclear Armageddon is also a preoccupation of mine.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

I don’t remember having a preoccupation with death and dying before the bombing.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry