involved

adjective

in·​volved in-ˈvälvd 

-ˈvȯlvd,

 also  -ˈvävd,

 or  -ˈvȯvd

1

a

: having a part in something : included in something

unable to identify those who were involved

She was involved in a lawsuit.

b

: actively participating in something

an involved citizen active in local politics

c

: having a romantic or sexual relationship

warned her not to get romantically involved

2

a

: marked by extreme and often needless or excessive complexity

a long and involved story

b

: difficult to deal with because of complexity or disorder

Her husband had been extravagant; and at his death … had left his affairs dreadfully involved.

—Jane Austen

3

: being affected or implicated

… dealing with … the most severely involved patients

—R. J. Thomas

4

obsolete : involute, twisted

involvedly

in-ˈväl-vəd-lē 

-ˈvȯl-

 also  -ˈvä-vəd-

 or  -ˈvȯ-

adverb

Synonyms

• baroque
• byzantine
• complex
• complicate
• complicated
• convoluted
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Choose the Right Synonym for involved

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts.

complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Examples of involved in a Sentence

a long and involved story

The instructions for assembling the toy are very involved.

The process is quite involved.

Those of us who were involved knew exactly what happened.

Students who stay involved get more out of the program.

If you want to make things better, you need to get involved.

They quickly became romantically involved.

No one knew that they were involved.

Recent Examples on the Web

Police previously said that the victim and several other people became involved in an altercation that led to the shooting inside an apartment. —Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 June 2024

Following Susan’s death, Astrid became more involved in Warren’s public life. —Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024

His character became romantically involved with Harrison's character, barrel racer Laramie, after she was introduced as Lloyd’s love interest in season three. —Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 2 June 2024

These days, the prom is a much more involved affair that necessitates months of meticulous planning and diplomatic negotiations, mostly via endless text chains. —Heather Havrilesky, New York Times, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of involve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing involved

• self-involved

Kids Definition

involved

adjective

in·​volved

: very complicated

a long and involved story