engaged

[en-geyjd]

adjective

1. busy or occupied; involved.

   deeply engaged in conversation.

2. pledged to be married; betrothed.

   an engaged couple.

3. under engagement; pledged.

   an engaged contractor.

4. entered into conflict with.

   desperately engaged armies.

5. Mechanics.

   1. interlocked.

   2. (of wheels) in gear with each other.

6. Architecture.,  (of a distinct member) built so as to be truly or seemingly attached in part to the structure before which it stands.

   an engaged column.

engaged

/ ɪnˈɡeɪdʒɪdlɪ, ɪnˈɡeɪdʒd /

adjective

1. pledged to be married; betrothed

2. employed, occupied, or busy

3. architect built against or attached to a wall or similar structure

   an engaged column

4. (of a telephone line) already in use

Other Word Forms

• engagedly adverb
• engagedness noun
• unengaged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of engaged¹

First recorded in 1605–15; engage + -ed ²

Example Sentences

In Britain, displaced textile artisans engaged in industrial terrorism by destroying machinery such as looms in the Luddite Uprisings.

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I didn’t notice that even though I was often in a room with someone else, I was less available, and less engaged.

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During the Cold War, the superpowers sometimes engaged in nuclear tests as a way of signaling nerve and resolve.

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This is a designation used by the US State Department that provides for sanctions against countries "engaged in severe violations of religious freedom".

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“He mostly did math and coding and was never too engaged in history courses,” Hirsch said.

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Related Words

• absorbed 
• committed 
• employed 
• engrossed 
• interested 
• involved 
• occupied 
• preoccupied 
• working