bustling

adjective

bus·​tling ˈbəs-liŋ 

ˈbə-sə-

: full of lively activity : busily astir

a bustling market

bustling streets

Commercial ships and recreational boats were serviced by a bustling marine industry.

—AAG Abstracts

bustlingly adverb

a bustlingly busy area

Synonyms

• active
• assiduous
• busy
• diligent
• employed
• engaged
• hopping
• industrious
• laborious
• occupied
• sedulous
• tied-up
• working

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Police said a shooter opened fire inside the waiting room of an Atlanta medical facility, killing one woman and injuring four others Wednesday as authorities swarmed the city’s bustling midtown neighborhood in search of the 24-year-old suspect. —Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2023

And an enhanced New Zealand itinerary will highlight the country’s breathtaking nature, charming small towns, and bustling cities on a 12-day trip. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2023

As such, economists often invoke GDP as an indicator of the size and health of an economy, since large, bustling economies deliver greater output than smaller, idle ones. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2023

Three-plus years after the pandemic and emergency orders emptied out bustling city centers, the bustle has not yet returned for some. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023

Walk through the entrance on a bustling 14th Street NW and up the stairs to enter the main space. —Olivia Mccormack, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023

What was once a sleepy mountain town soon became a bustling minimetropolis. —Michael Venutolo-mantovani, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Mar. 2023

The collaboration between the two artists was first unveiled on Feb. 24 when Turizo appeared wearing Marshmello’s emblematic white helmet amongst the bustling madness of New York City’s Times Square. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 2 Mar. 2023

The driver tore through the bustling neighborhoods, which are nestled in the southwest portion of the borough. —Hurubie Meko, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined above