Meaning & use
beholden
Owing something to someone, especially gratitude or an obligation because of a favor received.
See it in a sentence
After the loan, he felt beholden to his uncle and reluctant to disagree with him.
The senator insisted she was not beholden to any single donor or industry group.
A note on using this word
Beholden is always used predicatively, after a linking verb, as in feel beholden to someone, never directly before a noun.
Words with a similar meaning
indebtedobligated
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beholden”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.