employed

[em-ploid]

adjective

1. given employment, or paid work; hired, especially permanently by inclusion on a payroll.

   The comedy revolves around a beauty salon owner and her newly employed male stylist.

2. applied or used; made use of.

   In the study, drilling with flashcards was the least frequently employed strategy for language learning.

3. kept busy or engaged with some work or activity.

   I never feel usefully employed in science except when I'm actually gathering data.

4. (of time, energies, etc.) occupied; devoted to some pursuit.

   Working on my quilt gave me many happily employed hours.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of employ.

Other Word Forms

• de-employed adjective
• well-employed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of employed¹

First recorded in 1560–70; employ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; employ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Alice Wong, the California disability rights activist who employed wit, creativity and at times shock to fight for justice, has died at age 51.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Jersey-based operator, which employed about 100 staff, announced on Friday it had ceased trading and cancelled all bookings.

Read more on BBC

The Channel Islands-based airline, which employed about 100 staff, operated flights to various locations in the British Isles, and also to Bruges and Paris.

Read more on BBC

Ansys employed 6,500 people as of the end of last year, regulatory filings show.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Prey” gave us an 18th-century Comanche woman, Naru, who beat her tribe’s hunter from beyond the stars with the same ingenuity that Dutch employed.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• engaged 
• hired www.thesaurus.com
• occupied