involved

1 of 2

adjective

in·​volved in-ˈvälvd 

-ˈvȯlvd

also -ˈvävd

or -ˈvȯvd

1

a

: having a part in something : included in something

unable to identify those who were involved

She was involved in a lawsuit.

b

: actively participating in something

an involved citizen active in local politics

c

: having a romantic or sexual relationship

warned her not to get romantically involved

2

a

: marked by extreme and often needless or excessive complexity

a long and involved story

b

: difficult to deal with because of complexity or disorder

Her husband had been extravagant; and at his death … had left his affairs dreadfully involved.

—Jane Austen

3

: being affected or implicated

… dealing with … the most severely involved patients …

—R. J. Thomas

4

obsolete : involute, twisted

involvedly

in-ˈväl-vəd-lē 

-ˈvȯl-

also -ˈvä-vəd-

or -ˈvȯ-

adverb

involved

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of involve

Synonyms of involved

Adjective

• complicated
• complicate
• intricate
• complex
• sophisticated

Choose the Right Synonym for involved

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts.

complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Examples of involved in a Sentence

Adjective

a long and involved story

The instructions for assembling the toy are very involved.

The process is quite involved.

Those of us who were involved knew exactly what happened.

Students who stay involved get more out of the program.

If you want to make things better, you need to get involved.

They quickly became romantically involved.

No one knew that they were involved.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And don’t worry casual bakers, not every recipe is super involved. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2026

My transition to fall involves a slow return to the kitchen and more involved cooking. — Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026

Kasek assured the committee that one former booster allegedly heavily involved in the previous rule violations has been told to stay away from the program. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Emirati executive Taher, who is well-respected in the Arab business community, was appointed as its first chairwoman to work alongside Abrian, who remains involved in making Dubai the Gulf’s definitive fashion week. — Sujata Assomull, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of involve

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing involved

• self-involved

Rhymes for involved

• redissolved
• undissolved
• uninvolved
• unresolved
• absolved
• devolved
• dissolved
• evolved
• resolved
• revolved
• unsolved
• solved

Kids Definition

involved

adjective

in·​volved

: very complicated

a long and involved story