Synonyms of tied-up

tied-up 1 of 2

adjective

as in engaged

involved in often constant activity

we'll be tied-up with work for the next several days

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

tied up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tie up

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of

an accident is tying up traffic at 5th and Broadway

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hampered
• hindered
• impeded
• embarrassed
• obstructed
• interfered (with)
• held back
• handicapped
• inhibited
• delayed
• blocked
• cramped
• stymied
• encumbered
• shackled
• handcuffed
• disrupted
• trammeled
• cramped one's style
• clogged
• held up
• restrained
• tied
• hobbled
• short-circuited
• manacled
• fettered
• constrained
• gave a hard time
• bound
• hog-tied
• thwarted
• bogged (down)
• frustrated
• checked
• curbed
• retained
• retarded
• stifled
• reined
• tethered
• balked
• arrested
• confined
• braked
• chained
• leashed
• hemmed (in)
• choked
• strangled
• baffled
• barricaded
• hedged (in)
• haltered
• blockaded
• foiled
• mired
• derailed
• sabotaged
• roadblocked
• smothered
• stumped
• suffocated
• repressed
• muzzled
• suppressed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assisted
• helped
• aided
• facilitated
• opened
• released
• cleared
• made way
• freed
• liberated
• untied
• unplugged
• loosened
• encouraged
• promoted
• smoothed
• unstopped
• unclogged
• furthered

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tied-up

Verb

One staffer who is still at the CDC said much of her anger is tied up in knowing that Kennedy’s feelings about vaccines are similar to the shooter’s. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Perhaps most eager among them are Tegna, the parent company of Atlanta’s 11Alive, and Nexstar, which are undergoing a merger currently tied up in court. — Savannah Sicurella, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Estée Lauder’s stock has dropped nearly 75% during the past five years, and nearly all of Lauder’s stake is tied up. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

The set of opponents from North and South America is largely a product of the international calendar, with top European nations tied up with UEFA Nations League commitments. — Avi Creditor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

During the day, they were tied up and forced to lie on the ground in the sun; they were beaten with sticks. — Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

The regime claims that the four officers were tied up in the city’s central square, stoned, and then burned alive. — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Maheu and Perreault-Magny tied up briefly in the middle of the placid river with officers from the Akwesasne nation, a Tim Hortons coffee cup riding shotgun on their console. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026

The animals were kept in cages or kennels filled with feces or were tied up, and all of them were covered in ticks and fleas, according to the outlet. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026