Both Uses of
preoccupied
in
The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Kate was too preoccupied to notice.†
p. 204.6 *preoccupied = took up the attention of
- At the other end of the table, meanwhile, Reynie was preoccupied with a curious question: What should he call the person beside him?†
p. 476.6
Definitions:
-
(1)
(preoccupied) busy thinking about or doing something so that other things are not noticed or done
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, preoccupied can mean that someone has already inhabited or taken something.