Home Synonyms busy

Synonyms of busy in English:

busy


See US English definition of busy

See UK English definition of busy

See Spanish definition of ocupado

adjective

1‘he's always busy with some useful job’

SYNONYMS
occupied, occupied in, engaged in, involved in, employed in, working at, labouring at, toiling at, slaving at, hard at work, hard at work on, wrapped up, wrapped up in, wrapped up with
rushed off one's feet, rushed off one's feet with, hard-pressed, time-poor
at work, at work on, on the job, absorbed in, engrossed in, immersed in, preoccupied with
active, active in, lively, industrious, bustling, energetic, tireless
informal busy as a bee, on the go, hard at it
British informal on the hop
have one's hands full
ANTONYMS

idle

2‘Mr Jenkins is busy at the moment’

SYNONYMS
unavailable, otherwise engaged
engaged, occupied, in a meeting, working, at work, on duty, on active service, in harness
informal tied up
have a previous engagement, have a prior engagement
ANTONYMS

free

3‘I've had a busy day’

SYNONYMS
strenuous, hectic, energetic, active, lively, exacting, tiring, full, eventful
ANTONYMS

quiet

4‘the town centre was unusually busy’

SYNONYMS
crowded, bustling, swarming, teeming, astir, buzzing, hectic, full, thronged, thronging, lively, vibrant
informal buzzy

5‘the frame should be fairly plain, to balance the rather busy design’

SYNONYMS
excessively ornate, over-ornate, over-elaborate, over-embellished, overdecorated, overblown, overripe, overwrought, exaggerated, overdone, florid, fussy, cluttered, contrived, overworked, over-detailed, strained, laboured, baroque, rococo
British informal heaving, like Piccadilly Circus
ANTONYMS

quiet, restrained


verb

1‘a single clerk busied himself with paperwork’

SYNONYMS
occupy, involve, engage, concern, employ, absorb, engross, immerse, preoccupy
interest, entertain, distract, divert, amuse, beguile