indebted

adjective

in·​debt·​ed in-ˈde-təd 

1

: owing gratitude or recognition to another : beholden

2

: owing money

Synonyms

• obligated

Examples of indebted in a Sentence

thereafter forever felt indebted to the producer for giving her her lucky break

Recent Examples on the Web

The brand’s latest, which debuted at this year’s China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition, sports a chunky, cyberpunk-indebted design and bold lighting package that wouldn’t look out of place zipping around a futuristic metropolis. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025

Studies in North Carolina, Virginia, and New York have found that nonprofit hospitals commonly garnish wages from indebted patients, with some studies finding those patients tend to work in low-wage occupations. —Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025

Starring Lee Jung-jae, the series follows a group of indebted individuals who are lured into a macabre number of challenges that promise riches for the winner. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025

The effects of the railway have been profound for Laos, a small developing country that is now heavily indebted to China. —Susannah Patton, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English indetted, from Anglo-French endetté, past participle of endetter to run into debt, from en- + dette debt

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for indebted

• abetted
• brevetted
• gazetted
• pigmented
• pileated
• pipetted
• regretted
• rivetted
• unheated
• carburetted
• silhouetted
• fetid

Kids Definition

indebted

adjective

in·​debt·​ed in-ˈdet-əd 

: being in debt : owing something (as money or gratitude)