bustling

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'bustling' is correct and can be used in written English.
It is used to describe a place or situation that is busy and active, usually with a lot of people moving around. Example sentence: The streets of the city were bustling with cars and people.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Tucked away under ancient arches just by the bustling San Bartolomeo square, the Rosticceria is basically an old-fashioned self-service cafeteria, dishing up excellent and inexpensive comfort food - a "primo" for €6, followed by roast chicken, or "baccala mantecato", the traditional creamy salt cod.

The Guardian - Travel

But the monuments that line Washington's National Mall were bustling with tourists, as maintenance workers hastily tended to the overgrown grass - six-inches long in places.

The Guardian

The joint was bustling owing to the fact that three of the biggest crowd pullers of the calendar year take over the city around the same time: Womadelaide, the Adelaide festival and fringe, and the Clipsal 500 car race.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

The hotel sits in a no-man's land, right next to the train station, but has a unique position – in one direction it looks out over the bustling fishing port of Le Tréport, in the other across the long pebble beach and brightly-painted bathing huts of Mer-les-Bains.

The Guardian - Travel

Sarphatipark is a posh, peaceful oasis in a bustling neighbourhood.

The Guardian - Travel

In Edwardian times, Machrihanish would have been bustling with holidaymakers escaping industrial Glasgow in summer, arriving at nearby Campbeltown on one of the many steamers that serviced the area.

The Guardian - Travel

Known as 'little Marrakesh', its winding streets teem with life on Thursdays and Saturdays when people from the mountains come to town for the bustling Berber market.

The Guardian - Travel

Her sequence in Brigadoon (1954) begins with a violent cut from the picturesque Scottish village in the Highlands to a bustling Manhattan bar where Stewart, as Gene Kelly's Park Avenue fiancee, is chatting away about the wedding and shopping.

The Guardian - Film

Most foreign journalists had given up and left Chile after weeks of waiting, many returning from deprived and poor Santiago – proud but provincial – to bustling Buenos Aires and their homes across the Andes.

The Guardian

Crime and the closure or downsizing of Hartlepool's bustling three-star hospital, not foxhunting or Iraq, agitate most Hartlepudlians.

The Guardian

On our last day, I ventured into El Fenn's tiny, bustling kitchen to be given a cooking lesson by the hotel's head chef, Hafid.

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "bustling" to vividly describe places filled with energy and activity, helping your reader visualize the scene.

Common error

Avoid using "bustling" in descriptions of places that are typically always busy. Reserve it for situations where the activity is particularly noticeable or noteworthy.

Linguistic Context

The adjective "bustling" primarily functions as an attributive adjective, modifying nouns to describe places or environments characterized by energetic activity and movement. Ludwig provides numerous examples showcasing this usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

68%

Formal & Business

14%

Science

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "bustling" is an adjective that effectively portrays places filled with energetic activity. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it's grammatically correct and widely used, especially in News & Media. When writing, remember to use "bustling" to create vivid imagery, but avoid overuse in predictable contexts. Consider alternatives like "busy", "lively", or "vibrant" for variety. With a source quality score of 91 and an expert rating of 4.5, "bustling" is a reliable and valuable word to enhance your descriptions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

busy

A more general term for having a lot of activity occurring.

teeming

Implies a place is overflowing with activity or people.

swarming

Suggests a place is crowded with a large number of people or things moving around.

vibrant

Suggests a lively and energetic atmosphere.

thriving

Indicates successful growth and activity.

humming

Conveys a sense of background activity and energy.

lively

Emphasizes an animated and spirited environment.

packed

Indicates a space is filled to capacity with people or things.

active

A general term for being engaged in activity.

stirring

Implies a hive of activity and movement.

FAQs

How to use "bustling" in a sentence?

You can use "bustling" to describe places full of activity, such as "a bustling city square" or "a bustling marketplace".

What can I say instead of "bustling"?

You can use alternatives like "busy", "lively", or "vibrant" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "bustling city" or "bustled city"?

"Bustling city" is correct. "Bustling" is an adjective describing the city, while "bustled" is a verb form and doesn't fit this context.

What's the difference between "bustling" and "crowded"?

"Bustling" implies energetic activity and movement, while "crowded" simply means full of people or things without necessarily implying activity. A place can be crowded without being bustling, and vice versa.