beholden
pronunciation
How to pronounce beholden in British English:
UK [bɪˈhəʊldən]
How to pronounce beholden in American English:
US [bɪˈhoʊldən]
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- Adjective:
- under a moral obligation to someone
Word Origin
- beholden (adj.)
- "under obligation," mid-14c., originally past participle of behold (and preserving the original past participle of hold), but a sense directly related to this usage is not recorded among the many and varied meanings attested for behold.
Example
- 1. The tenant manager is beholden to the landlord .
- 2. Venture capital firms are therefore beholden to the pension funds and endowments .
- 3. Those bosses , with their dual role as party bigwigs and chief executives , are beholden to a higher authority than the stockmarket .
- 4. Returnees are typically bright , and less beholden to tradition than their stay-at-home peers .
- 5. Shall we be beholden to you ?