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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

beholden en · ADJ

Pronunciation

  • /bɪˈhəʉldən/ (Australia)
  • /bɪˈhoʊldən/ (Canada, General-American)
  • audio Queensland
  • /bɪˈhəʊldən/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English biholden (“beholden, obligated”), past participle of biholden (“to behold, look at”, modern behold), though that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate".

Meanings

  1. (followed by 'to', not-comparable, usually) Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged for a bounden duty.
    • 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). 2012 June 26, Genevieve Koski, “Music: Reviews: Justin Bieber: Believe”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2020:
    • From an early age, I had decided I wanted to be beholden to no one.
    • 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. 2017 January 14, “Thailand's new king rejects the army's proposed constitution”, in The Economist:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
beholding alternative lexicographic

Deriveds

beholdenness · unbeholden

Translations (16)

hi बाध्य (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · ru призна́тельный (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · nl schatplichtig (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · nl verplicht (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · ru обя́занный (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · es comprometido (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · enm biholden (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · es obligado (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · de gebunden (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · es endeudado (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · bg признателен (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · fr redevable (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · es adeudante (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · de verpflichtet (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · es encalillado (obligated, bound by moral obligation) · bg задължен (obligated, bound by moral obligation)