OCCUPIED Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

occupied 1 of 2

adjective

as in engaged

involved in often constant activity the boy is constantly occupied, usually with sports or schoolwork

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

occupied

2 of 2

verb

past tense of occupy

as in interested

to hold the attention of a puzzle will occupy that child for hours

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 occupied

Adjective

For occupied units, think about sticking to in-unit repairs that can be completed in a day or two. — Alex Vasquez, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 Israeli settlers have intensified efforts to seize natural springs and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank. — ABC News, 25 Sep. 2026 But his support among Palestinians has withered during years of corruption and the sometimes violent advance of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called on the international community to ensure the viability of the two-state solution in the face of the ongoing Israeli expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank and the war in Gaza. — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved new electoral regulations that will be implemented in occupied Ukraine. — Chris Massaro , Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Abraham and Szor, both Israeli Jews, are among the four directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land (along with Palestinian filmmakers Basel Adra and Hamdan Ballal), a film set in the occupied West Bank. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026 County jails must keep occupied areas between 65 and 85 degrees, according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026 Britain, France and Canada on Tuesday announced sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including banning all trade and services linked to them. — Peter Weber, TheWeek, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Built in 1784, the home was originally occupied by a prominent Salem merchant dealing in rum and Sumatran pepper. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026 The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses overnight downed 646 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. — Hanna Arhirova, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 If your property is occupied, renovations can mean noise, dust and loss of access to key areas like bathrooms or kitchens. — Alex Vasquez, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The merchandising was reconsidered as well, with more open space, redesigned display cases and seating replacing cases that previously occupied the front windows. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026 To capture attention within this order, students occupied space, illegally at times. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 Taylor & Byrne is new, all glass and light; Cathcarts is dark wood and padded chairs; one assumes that earlier teams have occupied the space going back a century or more. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Inside the home proper, much of its 400-sq-ft (37-sq-m) interior takes the same approach as Zook Cabins' log cabin-like Aspen Park Model and is mostly occupied by one large great room hosting a living room, kitchen, and dining area. — New Atlas, 26 Sep. 2026 As of this morning, the four new songs from Swift’s album occupied the top four spots on Spotify’s Top 50 – Global list. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for occupied

Adjective

Wealth screening can help nonprofits identify people who may have the financial capacity to give, but capacity alone doesn’t show whether a prospect is likely to care about an organization’s mission or become an engaged donor.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Over its nearly two decades of existence and with thousands of contributors, the site has built an engaged, global fanbase and has inspired short films, web series and games.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of engaged

Verb

With Game Picture Mode enabled, every pixel on the screen goes towards keeping you immersed in your games by ensuring that the entire display is used.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
Rather didn’t just preside over news stories – he was immersed in their preparation and aware of their potential impact.

— Walter Podrazik, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of immersed

Adjective

There are no straightforward steps like in the days when a diligent worker could land a job at a good company, work hard to get promoted and hope to climb the corporate ladder.

— Julia Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Edwards said Brown was diligent in going to work and didn’t worry about the weather at all.

— Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of diligent

Verb

She was taken with Arnold right away, and intrigued by Bartlett’s visual style and imagination.

— Darryn King, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
The latter ran the college’s Computer Science department; the former is intrigued by the teacher’s lectures on neural networks.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of intrigued

Verb

Polling from early 2003 showed that more than two-thirds of Americans falsely believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and a majority believed Saddam Hussein was directly involved in the 9/11 attacks.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Cautious enthusiasm for radio signal detection Scientists who were not involved with the new research urged caution when interpreting the findings.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of involved

Verb

Oracular methods such as automatism and tarot cards would lead Colquhoun down many paths in her search for knowledge, while the duality of the androgyne fascinated her in her art and writing.

— Marina Warner, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
The world was fascinated by mummies, but that did not lend itself to reverence.

— Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 29, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of fascinated

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occupations

occupied

occupier

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“Occupied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/occupied. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of occupied

adjective

verb

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