"beholden" meaning in English

See beholden in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /bɪˈhəʊldən/ [Received-Pronunciation], /bɪˈhoʊldən/ [Canada, General-American], /bɪˈhəʉldən/ [General-Australian] Audio: en-au-beholden.ogg
Rhymes: -əʊldən Etymology: From Middle English beholden, from Old English behealdan. Cognate with behold in the otherwise unrecorded sense “bound”. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|beholden}} Middle English beholden, {{inh|en|ang|behealdan}} Old English behealdan Head templates: {{en-adj|-}} beholden (not comparable)
  1. (usually with 'to') Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged. Tags: not-comparable, usually Synonyms: beholding [obsolete] Derived forms: beholdenness, unbeholden Translations (obligated, bound by moral obligation): задължен (zadǎlžen) (Bulgarian), признателен (priznatelen) (Bulgarian), verplicht (Dutch), schatplichtig (Dutch), redevable (French), verpflichtet (German), gebunden (German), बाध्य (bādhya) (Hindi), обя́занный (objázannyj) [masculine] (Russian), призна́тельный (priznátelʹnyj) [masculine] (Russian), comprometido (Spanish), obligado (Spanish), endeudado (Spanish), encalillado (Spanish), adeudante (Spanish)

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "beholden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English beholden",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "behealdan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English behealdan",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English beholden, from Old English behealdan. Cognate with behold in the otherwise unrecorded sense “bound”.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "beholden (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "be‧hol‧den"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English adjectives ending in -en",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hindi translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "beholdenness"
        },
        {
          "word": "unbeholden"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "From an early age, I had decided I wanted to be beholden to no one.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-08-06:",
          "text": "But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which [Justin] Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days).",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 January 14, “Thailand's new king rejects the army's proposed constitution”, in The Economist:",
          "text": "There is much to dislike about the proposed constitution, which will keep elected governments beholden to a senate nominated by the junta and to a suite of meddling committees.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged."
      ],
      "id": "en-beholden-en-adj-EnXtgjYR",
      "links": [
        [
          "Obligated",
          "obligated"
        ],
        [
          "provide",
          "provide"
        ],
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "indebted",
          "indebted"
        ],
        [
          "obliged",
          "obliged"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(usually with 'to') Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with 'to'"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "beholding"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "zadǎlžen",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "задължен"
        },
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "priznatelen",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "признателен"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "verplicht"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "schatplichtig"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "redevable"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "verpflichtet"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "gebunden"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "bādhya",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "बाध्य"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "objázannyj",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "обя́занный"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "priznátelʹnyj",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "призна́тельный"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "comprometido"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "obligado"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "endeudado"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "encalillado"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
          "word": "adeudante"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhəʊldən/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhoʊldən/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhəʉldən/",
      "tags": [
        "General-Australian"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-beholden.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5c/En-au-beholden.ogg/En-au-beholden.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/En-au-beholden.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-əʊldən"
    }
  ],
  "word": "beholden"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "beholdenness"
    },
    {
      "word": "unbeholden"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "beholden"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English beholden",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "behealdan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English behealdan",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English beholden, from Old English behealdan. Cognate with behold in the otherwise unrecorded sense “bound”.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "beholden (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "be‧hol‧den"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adjectives",
        "English adjectives ending in -en",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms derived from Middle English",
        "English terms derived from Old English",
        "English terms inherited from Middle English",
        "English terms inherited from Old English",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English uncomparable adjectives",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊldən",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊldən/3 syllables",
        "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hindi translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "From an early age, I had decided I wanted to be beholden to no one.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-08-06:",
          "text": "But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which [Justin] Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune, not necessarily because it needs it, but because a certain amount of robo-voice is expected these days).",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 January 14, “Thailand's new king rejects the army's proposed constitution”, in The Economist:",
          "text": "There is much to dislike about the proposed constitution, which will keep elected governments beholden to a senate nominated by the junta and to a suite of meddling committees.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Obligated",
          "obligated"
        ],
        [
          "provide",
          "provide"
        ],
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "indebted",
          "indebted"
        ],
        [
          "obliged",
          "obliged"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(usually with 'to') Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with 'to'"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
        "usually"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhəʊldən/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhoʊldən/",
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɪˈhəʉldən/",
      "tags": [
        "General-Australian"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-beholden.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5c/En-au-beholden.ogg/En-au-beholden.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/En-au-beholden.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-əʊldən"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "word": "beholding"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "zadǎlžen",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "задължен"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "priznatelen",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "признателен"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "verplicht"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "schatplichtig"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "redevable"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "verpflichtet"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "gebunden"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "bādhya",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "बाध्य"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "objázannyj",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "обя́занный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "priznátelʹnyj",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "призна́тельный"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "comprometido"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "obligado"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "endeudado"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "encalillado"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "obligated, bound by moral obligation",
      "word": "adeudante"
    }
  ],
  "word": "beholden"
}

Download raw JSONL data for beholden meaning in English (5.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.