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

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

Is there even any real need, when FIFA is sitting on billions of reserves and has more billions tied up in bonds, investments and other deposits? — James Horncastle, New York Times, 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

Meanwhile, Western taxpayers continue to foot the bills for several of the remaining 15 yachts still tied up in ports across Europe. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Knot theory is about all the different ways a piece of string can be tied up, with its two loose strands glued together after the tying. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 23 July 2026

The Phillies tied up the game in the bottom half of that fifth inning. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Cities and towns across China in recent years have been pushing for more local events or niche industries to stimulate spending and draw tourists – an increasingly urgent effort as many local government budgets are tied up with debt repayment. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 July 2026