One is bound by conscience or honor; he is obliged by some imperious necessity; engaged by his own promise; compelled by physical force or its moral equivalent.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

betrothed The princess was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off.
involved They did not want to get involved in the fighting.
employed Alex is now self-employed and has his own company.
committed My father was committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
engaged		falling
betrothed		rising
involved		steady
employed		falling
committed		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: busy², rapt¹
6 letters: intent², meshed¹
8 letters: involved², employed², occupied³, bespoken
9 letters: committed³, betrothed, engrossed², affianced
10 letters: interested³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (busy² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: fiancé