involved 1 of 2

Definition of involvednext

involved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of involve
1
as in affected
to be the business or affair of this isn't something that involves you, so don't worry about it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective involved differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of involved are complex, complicated, intricate, and knotty. While all these words mean "having confusingly interrelated parts," involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

When is it sensible to use complex instead of involved?

In some situations, the words complex and involved are roughly equivalent. However, complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

When is complicated a more appropriate choice than involved?

The synonyms complicated and involved are sometimes interchangeable, but complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

Where would intricate be a reasonable alternative to involved?

While in some cases nearly identical to involved, intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

In what contexts can knotty take the place of involved?

The meanings of knotty and involved largely overlap; however, knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

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 involved
Adjective
The person who was hit died at the scene; the involved driver stopped and spoke to investigators, police said. Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026 The business card market is increasing by 9% annually, and Fairbank said Capital One isn’t deeply involved in it yet. Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
With blind faith in the car, there was very little driving skill involved on my part. Fergus Scholes, TheWeek, 30 Jan. 2026 The collision involved a Colorado Department of Transportation plow, two passenger vehicles and the sprinter van carrying the members of the Santa Clarita Flyers 12-and-under team and their families. Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for involved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for involved
Adjective
  • The game's flight model is incredibly complicated, with a focus on realistic modeling and some notoriously finicky landing mechanics.
    Alan Bradley, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Lebanon and Syria have a complicated history with grievances on both sides.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • The study authors then fed this information into a detailed three-dimensional computer model designed to simulate the sun’s internal magnetic machinery.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
  • As detailed above, Benfica were off the pace in the league, out of the two Portuguese cups and seemingly heading out of Europe — all with a squad filled with questionable recruits, creaking veterans and unproven kids.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • At least three people who were on the firm’s private credit team prior to the purchase are among those affected, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
    Olivia Fishlow, Bloomberg, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The brand also heard repeatedly from working women and moms who described how prolonged sitting or postpartum changes affected their hip shape, yet most jeans simply mirrored those changes instead of offering support.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • That included mixed performances for airlines, which had to cancel thousands of flights due to the winter storm that swept much of the United States over the weekend.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Key points of discussion included the Army’s reluctance to use anti-collision technology known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, and why the FAA allowed military helicopter pilots to fly without the technology.
    Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • What interested him most about returning to the role was playing those contradictions at once.
    Anushka Halve, HollywoodReporter, 28 Jan. 2026
  • What interested me in photographing Chalmers wasn’t capturing the disembodied ideas.
    Dan Turello, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • But in the second season of the series, which wrapped last Sunday, a new sense of uncertainty, reflection, and maturity grips the central characters, making for even better television.
    Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Our weeklong tester was wrapped in Velvet Red Pearl paint, deep and rich in style.
    Marc D. Grasso, Boston Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • These are common but complicate long-term planning for federal agencies.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Despite differing views on a variety of security issues, the group, like Gilpatric’s, reached a clear consensus: nuclear proliferation by any additional country would diminish U.S. power, complicate strategic planning, and increase the likelihood of nuclear use, accidents, and disasters.
    MARIANO-FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But the overlap with unusually frigid temperatures afflicting Florida's Space Coast and the rest of the country have turned Crew-12's launch opportunities into an intricate dance around Artemis 2.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 30 Jan. 2026
  • This intricate South Korean drama is reminiscent in tone to The Killing, the spectacularly atmospheric Danish (and later American) procedural.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Involved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/involved. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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