otherwise engaged
Not available now
Otherwise engaged means occupied with something else and therefore unavailable.
The phrase serves as a polite or slightly formal way to decline without specifying the competing obligation: I'd love to attend, but I'm otherwise engaged that evening.
It carries a hint of deliberate vagueness—the speaker may genuinely have prior commitments or may simply prefer not to participate.
- indisposedMildly sick or unwilling
- occupiedCurrently in use
- unavailableCannot be accessed
- busyActively occupied with tasks
- divertedTurned from original path
not available · sidetracked · committed · absorbed · tied-up · obligated · booked · pledged · spoken for · immersed · scheduled · hands full · promised · absent · out of pocket · involved · engrossed · pressed for time
- refusalsno, decline, no thanks, refuse, nope
- Polite delaysexcuse me, one moment, just a minute, hold on, bear with me
otherwise engagedavailable
Ready to be used
free · at liberty · unoccupied · uncommitted · on hand
otherwise engagedall ears
Fully attentive to speech
at your service · paying attention · attentive · undistracted · present
otherwise, engaged, other, wise, engage, engagement, engages, engaging, engagingly