Meaning & use
busier
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“busier” is a form of “busy”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having more to do, or more activity, than before or than someone else.
Grammar: Comparative of busy; use than for the comparison: busier than last year.
Patterns
- busier than someone
- busier than usual
I am busier this week than I was last week.
Saturdays are busier than weekdays at the market.
She is getting busier as the deadline nears.
adjectivecomparable
Having more traffic, people or noise in a place.
Grammar: Describes places or times: a busier street.
Patterns
- a busier place
- busier at certain times
The station gets busier at rush hour.
This road is busier than the one near my house.
The beach was busier in July.
Common combinations
- busier than usual
- The store was busier than usual today.
- get busier
- The office gets busier in December.
- even busier
- Next week will be even busier.
- busier time
- Spring is a busier time for the garden center.
- far busier
- The airport was far busier than expected.
Synonyms and how they differ
- more occupied
- More occupied is formal and used mainly about people.
- more crowded
- More crowded fits places filled with people and not people with a lot to do.
- more hectic
- More hectic suggests a rushed and chaotic pace.
- more active
- More active suggests energy or movement but not necessarily lots of tasks.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: busier or business?
busier vs business
Business is a noun for trade or a company, while busier is a comparative adjective describing how much is happening.
Practice
The cafe is ___ on Sundays than on Mondays.
Choose one answer.
Busier is the comparative, followed by than. Busiest is the superlative, and more busy is not the normal form for this word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “busier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.