involved

1. 1
   adjective

   Taking part in an event, process, or activity, or connected with others through it.

   Several officers were involved in the investigation from the very start.

   He stayed deeply involved in the negotiations until a deal was reached.

   UsageInvolved in an activity, involved with a person; also after a noun: the people involved. Get involved means start taking part.

   Similarengaged, active, concerned

   Oppositeuninvolved, disengaged

   Note

   To feel involved, as when a family settles a will, is to be included rather than merely present.

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of involve.

   The merger involved months of careful negotiation.

   Several agencies have involved themselves in the relief effort.

   Note

   In the active it usually means "included" or "entailed": an explanation that involved potatoes, squirrels and race cars. The reflexive involve oneself marks stepping into an effort, and the passive is the source of the adjective for taking part.

3. 3
   complicatedadjective

   Complicated, with many connected parts that make something difficult to follow or carry out.

   The argument became so involved that few people in the room could follow it.

   Filing the paperwork turned out to be a far more involved process than expected.

   UsageBefore a noun or after a verb like be: an involved story. After a noun, the people involved means those taking part.

   Similarcomplicated, complex, intricate, convoluted, elaborate

   Oppositesimple, straightforward, uncomplicated, easy

   Note

   Position often guides the meaning. Before a noun, involved usually means intricate: a long, involved story in W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage (1915), or a fiendishly involved business.

4. 4
   datingadjective

   Romantically or sexually connected with someone, especially in an ongoing relationship.

   They had been involved for several months before their families found out.

   He ended things once he realized she was involved with another man.

   UsageUsually involved with someone, or romantically involved; said of two people, involved alone often means a love affair.

   Similarattached, entangled

   Oppositesingle, unattached

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