as in actively
in a manner involving great or constant activity
the deadline is in two days, so everyone in the department has been working busily
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Recent Examples of busily
Except for the weird assortment of tentacled, befinned, leaflike, rocklike, or altogether bizarre strangers who busily or somnolently populate the stone.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The only wine club that exclusively ships Napa Valley red wine to its members, Robb Report 672 Napa Valley Wine Club is busily preparing its first selection of the year.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026
In another slightly opposite situation, an actress left the stage and grabbed the cell phone from a member of the audience who was busily texting, totally ignoring the play.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2026
As part of its international expansion beyond North America and the UK, Substack is busily hiring partnership leads in additional markets like Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the Nordics.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Getty Images—2026 Getty Images At the same time, Denmark has been busily bolstering its military presence in Greenland.
—Lisa Abend, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
No matter what happens Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game between Indiana and Miami — a game that will be played in South Florida — Columbus will be busily celebrating the sight of alums hoisting the national championship trophy.
—CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
First-year Arkansas Coach Ryan Silverfield and staff are busily in the process of restocking the roster -- at quarterback and many key defensive positions -- through the portal, as has become the custom in recent years for the Razorbacks and the rest of the FBS.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2026
Sohn lived busily, working for a trading company in the 1980s and ’90s, even being deployed to California and Southeast Asia.
—Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
The only wine club that exclusively ships Napa Valley red wine to its members, Robb Report 672 Napa Valley Wine Club is busily preparing its first selection of the year.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026
In another slightly opposite situation, an actress left the stage and grabbed the cell phone from a member of the audience who was busily texting, totally ignoring the play.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2026
As part of its international expansion beyond North America and the UK, Substack is busily hiring partnership leads in additional markets like Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the Nordics.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
Getty Images—2026 Getty Images At the same time, Denmark has been busily bolstering its military presence in Greenland.
—Lisa Abend, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
No matter what happens Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game between Indiana and Miami — a game that will be played in South Florida — Columbus will be busily celebrating the sight of alums hoisting the national championship trophy.
—CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
First-year Arkansas Coach Ryan Silverfield and staff are busily in the process of restocking the roster -- at quarterback and many key defensive positions -- through the portal, as has become the custom in recent years for the Razorbacks and the rest of the FBS.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 3 Jan. 2026
Sohn lived busily, working for a trading company in the 1980s and ’90s, even being deployed to California and Southeast Asia.
—Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busily
Adverb
-
Fire watch coverage can help show that someone is actively monitoring the property while repairs are underway.—
Matthew Kayser,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, the United States actively supported Saddam Hussein — providing intelligence and diplomatic cover even as Iraq deployed chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers and civilians.—
Letters to the Editor,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Hanson continued to cause problems for Christensen — now at Barcelona — by sticking diligently to his left flank duties, and Filipe Morais levelled the score 15 minutes from time.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Each ingredient is diligently vetted and each product is exhaustively tested (including a microbial analysis) for heavy metals, pesticides, solvent residues, environmental contaminants, and common allergens including gluten.—
Brianna Peters,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Busily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busily. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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