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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word busy different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of busy are assiduous, diligent, industrious, and sedulous. While all these words mean "actively engaged or occupied," busy chiefly stresses activity as opposed to idleness or leisure.

too busy to spend time with the children

When would assiduous be a good substitute for busy?

While in some cases nearly identical to busy, assiduous stresses careful and unremitting application.

assiduous practice

In what contexts can diligent take the place of busy?

The words diligent and busy can be used in similar contexts, but diligent suggests earnest application to some specific object or pursuit.

very diligent in her pursuit of a degree

Where would industrious be a reasonable alternative to busy?

The synonyms industrious and busy are sometimes interchangeable, but industrious implies characteristic or habitual devotion to work.

industrious employees

When could sedulous be used to replace busy?

The words sedulous and busy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sedulous implies painstaking and persevering application.

a sedulous investigation of the murder

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of busy
Adjective
What to Know Munich Airport is one of Europe’s busiest hubs. Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 With this latest patch, Google continues a busy year of racing to secure its browser against rapidly emerging threats. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, while Miranda busies herself with building a pageant empire, her husband Ray, a pill-popping nurse, has knocked up the 18-year-old granddaughter of one of his hospice patients. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025 Continuing to busy himself with creating collections and costume design, Poiret continues to look to the East, but also mines history for inspiration. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for busy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for busy
Adjective
  • Swift, the superstar singer, and Kelce, the three-time Super Bowl champion, became engaged in August.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025
  • This album is Swift’s first as an engaged woman and her first since the Eras tour concluded in December 2024.
    Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The unconventional thriller played like gangbusters to the buzzing New York crowd.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
  • At the time of his sentencing, Williams was a buzzing rapper, with his 2021 mixtape Shiesty Season, his only full-length project, peaking at Number Three on the Billboard 200.
    Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Both men are doing stuff that keeps them occupied, interests them on some level and pays the bills, but doesn’t consume their every waking thought.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • This professional and human aspect really interested me.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Daria watched their diligent ascent while Andrés studied the map on his phone.
    Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Hunt After years of diligent saving, a longtime renter with a $300,000 budget weighed whether to take his parents’ advice and return to his childhood building in Elmhurst, or branch out.
    Dan Levin, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The satin fabrics were dyed vibrant colors and used for pieces like biker vests, dresses and apron tops.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Shot with both lyrical intimacy and bursts of vibrant energy, the film portrays the quiet revolution of a boy refusing to surrender his identity.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Frankie Montas Montas is slated to miss all of next season, and so his $17 million player option is easier than any decision in those annoying Capital One ads.
    Tim Britton, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
  • There was one distraction during the number when the director made their performance look like a TikTok video, complete with a stream of annoying comments to the left of Leavitt’s tush.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The plan also states that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza, something which has been speculated amid Israel’s offensive within the territory.
    Callum Sutherland, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Birch said the Tech Park, which now fills three buildings in the 400 block of Main Street, picked up another tenant in the past couple of weeks and the park is about 70% occupied.
    Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Originally from Ohio, Frank came to what is now Fort Lauderdale in 1893 and founded a thriving trading business with the Seminoles and eventually worked as the area’s postmaster.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
  • What once felt like the Wild West has become a thriving ecosystem of university labs, independent design studios, startups, and industrial manufacturers, creating market-ready products.
    Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Busy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/busy. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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