preoccupy
Fill one's thoughts
To preoccupy is to absorb someone's attention so completely that other things get pushed aside: She was preoccupied with wedding planning and barely noticed anything else.
The adjective preoccupied describes someone whose mind is elsewhere—distracted by thoughts or concerns that claim priority over the present moment.
Troubled mental state
- fretAgitation or fingerboard guide
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- uneaseMild persistent worry
agitation · disquiet · nervousness · tension · apprehension · restlessness · turmoil · troubled
Wholly absorbed in something
- immersedPlunged entirely into
- captivatedWholly absorbed by something
- enthralledDeeply fascinated, held rapt
- raptDeeply absorbed, fascinated
riveted · spellbound · transfixed · mesmerized · fascinated · gripped · intent · focused
Obsessively attached or focused
- obsessedGripped by fixation
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- monomaniaFixation on single idea
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
overthinking · intrusive · fixation · idée fixe · persistent · relentless · incessant · consuming
worry
Troubled mental state
- fretAgitation or fingerboard guide
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
unease · agitation · disquiet · nervousness · tension · apprehension · restlessness · turmoil · troubled · brooding
engrossed
Wholly absorbed in something
- immersedPlunged entirely into
- captivatedWholly absorbed by something
- enthralledDeeply fascinated, held rapt
rapt · riveted · spellbound · transfixed · mesmerized · fascinated · gripped · intent · focused · concentrated
fixated
Obsessively attached or focused
- obsessedGripped by fixation
- compulsiveUnable to stop oneself
- monomaniaFixation on single idea
rumination · overthinking · intrusive · fixation · idée fixe · persistent · relentless · incessant · consuming · all-consuming
divert
Cause to change course
deflect · detour · derail · engage · busy · monopolize · dominate · fill · claim · commandeer
preoccupyunconcern
Absence of worry
indifference · apathy · disinterest · nonchalance · detachment
preoccupied, preoccupation, preoccupies, preoccupying, preoccupations, unpreoccupied