Preoccupied
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Preoccupied is an adjective meaning (now rare) Already occupied.
Meaning
(now rare) Already occupied.
More Meanings
- (taxonomy, not comparable) Describing a taxonomic name not available for use because it is already used for another.
- Concerned with something else; distracted; giving one's attention elsewhere.
- simple past and past participle of preoccupy
- (obsolete) Prepossessed; biased.
Example Sentences
Scythrop, retiring to his tower, found his study preoccupied.
I was preoccupied with a deadline at work, and I forgot his birthday.
Terrified at this uproar, which disconcerted the magician himself, she ran for shelter into the place which was preoccupied by the other lady […].
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.
Synonyms for preoccupied
Depending on context, synonyms include bemused, thoughtful, lost, concerned, haunted, obsessed.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include lost, bemused, concerned, obsessed, thoughtful, haunted.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.