Synonyms of bustling

bustling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbəs-liŋ 

1

as in busy

involved in often constant activity

a bustling greeter was there to welcome guests to the grand opening

Synonyms & Similar Words

• busy
• engaged
• diligent
• employed
• occupied
• active
• working
• preoccupied
• industrious
• immersed
• assiduous
• sedulous
• hopping
• buzzing
• laborious
• lively
• vibrant
• humming
• tied-up
• thriving
• absorbed
• operating
• flourishing
• concentrating
• functioning
• focused
• operational
• animated
• engrossed
• happening
• going
• energetic
• running
• swamped
• knee-deep
• operative
• hardworking
• astir
• functional
• vigorous
• living
• tireless
• intent
• indefatigable
• alive
• untiring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• idle
• inactive
• unoccupied
• unemployed
• free
• sleepy
• quiescent
• dormant
• lifeless
• unbusy
• latent
• passive
• slow
• inert
• asleep
• dull
• dead
• inoperative
• nonoperating

2

as in buzzing

marked by much life, movement, or activity

a bustling shopping center during the Christmas season

Synonyms & Similar Words

• busy
• buzzing
• vibrant
• thriving
• crowded
• lively
• humming
• populous
• brisk
• flourishing
• abuzz
• happening
• rousing
• kinetic
• animated
• stirring
• alive
• hopping
• teeming
• astir
• abubble
• swarming
• overflowing
• aboil
• thronging
• abounding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sleepy
• inactive
• dead
• lifeless
• asleep

bustling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bustle

1

as in bursting

to be copiously supplied

on Saturdays the city's downtown bustles with activity as a farmers' market sets up shop

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bursting
• buzzing
• teeming
• humming
• bulging
• brimming
• swarming
• abounding
• overflowing
• crawling
• bristling
• pullulating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lacking
• wanting
• needing

2

as in hurrying

to proceed or move quickly

the hostess bustled about, taking care of last-minute preparations for the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hurrying
• traveling
• racing
• scurrying
• buzzing
• rushing
• driving
• flying
• speeding
• trotting
• zipping
• chasing
• running
• jumping
• scooting
• darting
• hustling
• dashing
• blowing
• blasting
• whirling
• stepping
• scuttling
• tearing
• zooming
• blazing
• bowling
• ripping
• rustling
• shooting
• barreling
• jogging
• bolting
• breezing
• ramming
• motoring
• careening
• hurtling
• careering
• whisking
• hurling
• hastening
• rocketing
• cracking (on)
• coursing
• haring
• galloping
• jetting
• humping
• belting
• pelting
• nipping
• bombing
• bundling
• highballing
• beating it
• flitting
• cannonballing
• hying
• stepping on it
• scampering
• scuffling
• making tracks
• getting a move on
• shaking a leg
• hotfooting (it)
• whizzing
• sprinting
• stampeding
• accelerating
• scudding
• streaking
• beetling
• overtaking
• quickening
• outpacing
• outrunning
• stepping out
• outstripping
• catching up
• beelining
• arrowing
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawling
• creeping
• lingering
• poking
• hanging (around or out)
• dragging
• lagging
• strolling
• poking
• loitering
• dawdling
• shuffling
• sauntering
• ambling
• plodding
• lumbering
• dallying
• slowing (down or up)
• tarrying
• decelerating
• dillydallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bustling

Adjective

Times have changed, and now the area is a bustling center of commerce and recreation centered around Oracle Park and the Chase Center, with a massive city park expected to break ground later this year. — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2026

Adidas beamed Murray’s image onto the side of a building here in the bustling Haymarket District. — Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

There’s something very nice about stepping out on a terrace right in the heart of bustling Vancouver to feel the crisp Pacific Northwest air. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Ascension Coffee is bringing its popular coffees and cozy café atmosphere to Southlake’s bustling Town Square. — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026