involved

American  

[in-volvd] / ɪnˈvɒlvd /

adjective

1. very intricate or complex.

   an involved reply.

   Synonyms:

   tangled, knotty, complicated

   Antonyms:

   simple

2. implicated.

   involved in crime.

3. concerned in some affair, especially in a way likely to cause danger or unpleasantness.

   I didn't call the police because I didn't want to get involved.

4. committed or engaged, as in a political cause or artistic movement.

   The civil rights demonstration attracted the involved young people of the area.

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involved British  

/ ɪnˈvɒlvd /

adjective

1. complicated; difficult to comprehend

   an involved literary style

2. (usually postpositive) concerned or implicated

   one of the men involved

3. euphemistic having sexual relations

   she was involved with a number of men

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Other Word Forms

• involvedly adverb
• involvedness noun
• noninvolved adjective
• uninvolved adjective

Etymology

Origin of involved

First recorded in 1600–10; involve + -ed ²

Explanation

Being involved means being a part of something or associated with it. If you volunteer on a team to clean up the playground, you're involved in making it a safer and more fun place for kids to play. Involved is an adjective with many different uses. It can describe something difficult or complicated, as in "really involved instructions for putting together a plane model," or it describes relationships and partnerships, like when you’re involved with someone in a serious dating relationship or are involved in helping out as a tutor after school. You can be involved in more negative situations, too, as when a country is involved in spying on another or a group is involved in plotting a crime.

Example Sentences

In a brief statement, China’s National Development and Reform Commission said it decided to prohibit foreign investment in the Manus project and has required the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

It cannot fully explain every type of superconductor or capture all aspects of the behavior involved.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

Beijing has banned the $2.5 billion acquisition and ordered the parties involved to rescind the transaction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The collision at Nutts Corner involved a black Volkswagen Golf and a silver Volkswagen Passat.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

But there was such a strong desire for a better story that many people involved tried to make it true.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• affected
• concerned
• embroiled
• entangled
• interested
• participating