Synonyms for busy
ˈbɪz i

Princeton's WordNet(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. busy(adj)

   actively or fully engaged or occupied

   "busy with her work"; "a busy man"; "too busy to eat lunch"

   Synonyms:
   in use(p), busybodied, meddling, meddlesome, interfering, engaged, officious, fussy

   Antonyms:
   not intrusive, bone-idle, unoccupied, faineant, slothful, unintrusive, bone-lazy, lazy, work-shy, otiose, inactive, idle, unengaged, leisured, plain, lackadaisical, indolent

2. busy, fussy(adj)

   overcrowded or cluttered with detail

   "a busy painting"; "a fussy design"

   Synonyms:
   engaged, busybodied, particular, meddlesome, picky, in use(p), interfering, meddling, finical, cross, bad-tempered, grumpy, grouchy, crabby, crabbed, finicky, fussy, officious, ill-tempered

   Antonyms:
   lazy, plain, not intrusive, lackadaisical, idle, indolent, work-shy, slothful, leisured, unoccupied, bone-idle, bone-lazy, unengaged, faineant, otiose, unintrusive, inactive

3. interfering, meddlesome, meddling, officious, busy, busybodied(adj)

   intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner

   "an interfering old woman"; "bustling about self-importantly making an officious nuisance of himself"; "busy about other people's business"

   Synonyms:
   interfering, busybodied, meddling, meddlesome, fussy, engaged, officious, in use(p)

   Antonyms:
   work-shy, not intrusive, unoccupied, otiose, slothful, lackadaisical, lazy, faineant, bone-idle, idle, plain, indolent, unengaged, leisured, unintrusive, bone-lazy, inactive

4. busy(adj)

   crowded with or characterized by much activity

   "a very busy week"; "a busy life"; "a busy street"; "a busy seaport"

   Synonyms:
   in use(p), busybodied, meddling, meddlesome, interfering, engaged, officious, fussy

   Antonyms:
   not intrusive, lackadaisical, leisured, lazy, faineant, slothful, inactive, work-shy, idle, unintrusive, plain, bone-idle, unoccupied, bone-lazy, unengaged, indolent, otiose

5. busy, engaged, in use(p)(verb)

   (of facilities such as telephones or lavatories) unavailable for use by anyone else or indicating unavailability; (`engaged' is a British term for a busy telephone line)

   "her line is busy"; "receptionists' telephones are always engaged"; "the lavatory is in use"; "kept getting a busy signal"

   Antonyms:
   slothful, idle, unoccupied, work-shy, plain, inactive, not intrusive, unengaged, otiose, lackadaisical, bone-idle, indolent, faineant, lazy, bone-lazy, unintrusive, leisured

6. busy, occupy(verb)

   keep busy with

   "She busies herself with her butterfly collection"

   Synonyms:
   take, invade, reside, occupy, engage, lodge in, concern, worry, use up, engross, interest, fill, absorb

   Antonyms:
   plain, otiose, indolent, unengaged, faineant, slothful, idle, work-shy, bone-idle, unintrusive, bone-lazy, inactive, unoccupied, lazy, leisured, lackadaisical, not intrusive

English Synonyms and Antonyms(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. busy

   Active refers to both quickness and constancy of action; in the former sense it is allied with agile, alert, brisk, etc.; in the latter, with busy, diligent, industrious. The active love employment, the busy are actually employed, the diligent and the industrious are habitually busy. The restless are active from inability to keep quiet; their activity may be without purpose, or out of all proportion to the purpose contemplated. The officious are undesirably active in the affairs of others. Compare ALERT; ALIVE; MEDDLESOME.

   Synonyms:
   active, agile, alert, brisk, bustling, diligent, energetic, expeditious, industrious, lively, mobile, nimble, officious, prompt, quick, ready, restless, sprightly, spry, supple, vigorous, wide awake

   Antonyms:
   dull, heavy, idle, inactive, indolent, inert, lazy, quiescent, quiet, slow, sluggish, stupid

   Preposition:
   Active in work, in a cause; for an object, as for justice; with persons or instrumentalities; about something, as about other people's business.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. busy

   Synonyms:
   industrious, diligent, assiduous, engaged, occupied

   Antonyms:
   idle, slothful, lazy, indolent, unoccupied

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. non-availability

   free is an antonym of non-availability, so busy will be a synonym for non-availability.

   Submitted by anonymous on August 16, 2020  

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. busy(a.)

   Synonyms:
   diligent, assiduous, industrious, sedulous, notable, active, working, hard-working, at work; diligently employed, engaged, or occupied

2. busy(a.)

   Synonyms:
   brisk, stirring, bustling, nimble, agile, SPRY, constantly in motion

3. busy(a.)

   Synonyms:
   meddling, officious, importunate

4. busy(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   occupy, employ, make busy

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. busy(a)

   Synonyms:
   occupied, engaged, employed, engrossed, diligent, industrious, sedulous, active, intrusive, officious, meddlesome

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. List of paraphrases:

   occupied, crowded, heavy, peak, overcrowded, congested, congestion

How to pronounce busy?

Alex

US English

Daniel

British

Karen

Australian

Veena

Indian

How to say busy in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use busy in a sentence?

1. Marc Evan:

   During the busy season( late September through November), Marc Evan estimates their shop goes through about 500 pumpkins -- Most come from Sycamore farms in New York -- with the biggest they’ve carved tipping the scales at 1,800 pounds. With all that pumpkin, they try to make good use out of what gets scooped out. I love pumpkin in my food, we ca n’t save all the pumpkin we use but we love roasting the seeds or [ eating ] fresh baked pumpkin bread.

2. Randy Richardson:

   No one else in my area wanted the job, and everybody knows how busy I am, but somebody had to do it, and I guess I stepped up.

3. Police Major Nur Farah:

   The place is busy with hotels and supermarkets. Most of the casualties are pedestrians. The casualty number is sure to rise.

4. Francis de Sales:

   While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things.

5. James Stagg:

   This will be most effective in high turnover environments like busy bars and quick service restaurants.

Images & Illustrations of busy