busy
Americanadjective
-
actively and attentively engaged in work or a pastime.
busy with her work.
- Synonyms:
- hardworking, assiduous
- Antonyms:
- indolent
-
not at leisure; otherwise engaged.
He couldn't see any visitors because he was busy.
- Antonyms:
- unoccupied
-
full of or characterized by activity.
a busy life.
-
(of a telephone line) in use by a party or parties and not immediately accessible.
-
officious; meddlesome; prying.
-
ornate, disparate, or clashing in design or colors; cluttered with small, unharmonious details; fussy.
The rug is too busy for this room.
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
actively or fully engaged; occupied
-
crowded with or characterized by activity
a busy day
-
(of a room, telephone line, etc) in use; engaged
-
overcrowded with detail
a busy painting
-
meddlesome; inquisitive; prying
verb
Synonym Usage
Busy, diligent, industrious imply active or earnest effort to accomplish something, or a habitual attitude of such earnestness. Busy means actively employed, temporarily or habitually: a busy official. Diligent suggests earnest and constant effort or application, and usually connotes fondness for, or enjoyment of, what one is doing: a diligent student. Industrious often implies a habitual characteristic of steady and zealous application, often with a definite goal: an industrious clerk working for promotion.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
busynessnoun
-
nonbusyadjective
-
overbusyadjective
-
superbusyadjective
-
unbusyadjective
-
well-busiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
busysimple
-
busiessimple
-
have busiedperfect
-
has busiedperfect
-
am busyingprogressive
-
are busyingprogressive
-
is busyingprogressive
-
have been busyingperfect progressive
-
has been busyingperfect progressive
Past
-
busiedsimple
-
had busiedperfect
-
was busyingprogressive
-
were busyingprogressive
-
had been busyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of busy
First recorded before 950; Middle English busi, bisi, Old English bysig, bisig; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle Dutch besich, Dutch bezig
Explanation
When you're busy, you have things to do. You're occupied and probably not bored. This word always means there's some kind of activity. When a phone line is busy, you can't get your call through. If you find the bathroom is busy, you'll have to wait it's free. When a supervisor is around, employees need to look busy. A busy intersection is loaded with traffic. If you're too busy playing basketball to finish your homework, your grades might suffer. It's good to be busy, but when people are too busy, they get stressed out.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jim Railton, of Railtons Auctioneers, said it had been a "very busy day".
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
Emergency services evacuated a busy Manhattan street block during the Tuesday morning rush hour after structural columns buckled inside a skyscraper undergoing construction work, officials said.
From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026
She does much of the grocery shopping, helps with the cooking and has learned to use the riding lawn mower, manicuring the yard when Craig is busy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
In Orange County, officials said it was limitations on visibility for lifeguards that prompted them to crack down on shade coverings ahead of the busy season when thousands of visitors hit the beach daily.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026
And across the street from the busy event is the Manor, newly remodeled.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
