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in·debt·ed·ness | \ in-ˈde-təd-nəs 
\
\Definition of indebtedness
1 : the condition of being indebted
2 : something (such as an amount of money) that is owed
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Synonyms for indebtedness
Synonyms
- arrearage,
- arrears,
- debt,
- liability
- (usually liabilities),
- obligation,
- score
Examples of indebtedness in a Sentence
his total indebtedness exceeded a year's income
Recent Examples on the Web Therefore, this crisis will at best sink millions of people further into indebtedness or force them to beg, loot or starve.
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Aroop Chatterjee, Quartz Africa, "South Africa needs a wealth tax to help stop coronavirus worsening inequality," 30 Apr. 2020 Far too many countries (and all sorts of borrowers within each country) took advantage of ultra-low interest rates to maintain (or even increase) high levels of indebtedness.
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Ashoka Mody, National Review, "Europe’s Moment of Truth," 29 Apr. 2020 But most signs are that this was caused by a global cash crunch, not fears of rising indebtedness by the United States.
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Neil Irwin, New York Times, "The U.S. Is About to Vastly Increase Its Debt. That’s a Good Thing.," 27 Mar. 2020 Japan Tobacco, worth $42 billion, is substantially less geared, so an all-paper deal would achieve more in terms of reducing indebtedness.
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Chris Hughes | Bloomberg, Washington Post, "One Big Tobacco Deal Is Enough," 29 Aug. 2019 The authority also has increased bond indebtedness.
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Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "West Harris County Regional Water Authority raises fees for Katy-area water users," 14 Nov. 2019 But in the working class remade and discarded for the postindustrial age, there is an uptick in drug abuse, one-parent families, and indebtedness.
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Thomas Geoghegan, The New Republic, "This is a high school nation," 20 Jan. 2020 Those rules, created to reduce clubs’ indebtedness and level the playing field in an era in which teams were being infused with cash by billionaires and nation-states, require clubs to balance their spending with revenue.
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New York Times, "In P.S.G. Case, Documents Show UEFA Surrendered Without a Fight," 24 July 2019 Among families of color, the loan is much more common — and those families are more likely to be dragged into indebtedness.
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USA TODAY, "HBCU, black parents saddled with risky college student debt because of Parent PLUS loan," 26 June 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indebtedness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for indebtedness
The first known use of indebtedness was in 1647
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