Synonyms of withheld

withheld 1 of 2

adjective

as in suppressed

Related Words

• suppressed
• reserved
• concealed
• revoked
• repressed
• stifled
• personal
• retracted
• silenced
• intimate
• surreptitious
• undisclosed
• clandestine
• recanted
• classified
• undercover
• covert
• underhanded
• collusive
• confidential
• conspiratorial
• underhand
• unannounced
• unadvertised
• private
• privy
• secret

Dissimilar Words

• public
• open
• general
• popular
• unclassified
• nonclassified
• well-known

withheld

2 of 2

verb

past tense of withhold

1

as in denied

to be unwilling to grant

must withhold official approval until all the proper forms have been submitted

Synonyms & Similar Words

• denied
• refused
• rejected
• declined
• disallowed
• disapproved
• forbade
• prohibited
• restricted
• vetoed
• kept
• nixed
• reprobated
• proscribed
• banned
• enjoined
• negatived
• spurned
• rebuffed
• restrained
• checked
• held
• hindered
• constrained
• repelled
• repressed
• curbed
• impeded
• obstructed
• balked (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• granted
• provided
• permitted
• allowed
• supplied
• conceded
• let
• furnished
• afforded
• gave
• authorized
• licensed
• agreed (to)
• commissioned
• acquiesced
• warranted
• consented (to)
• accorded
• sanctioned
• OK'd
• acceded (to)
• assented (to)
• vouchsafed

2

as in retained

to continue to have in one's possession or power

withhold some money for your own expenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• retained
• kept
• held
• preserved
• possessed
• reserved
• saved
• had
• protected
• guarded
• held on to
• enjoyed
• owned
• conserved
• hung on to
• boasted
• ruled
• controlled
• managed
• detained
• directed
• bore
• clung (to)
• cherished
• commanded
• hugged
• harbored
• treasured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• released
• surrendered
• yielded
• abandoned
• dropped
• gave
• contributed
• relinquished
• gave up
• ceded
• donated
• rejected
• discarded
• handed over
• dumped
• declined
• lost
• repudiated
• handed out
• spurned

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of withheld

Adjective

The withheld funding supports election monitoring, independent media and other pro-democracy programs abroad. — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025

Verb

Redactions in those documents and other withheld information, the department said, are necessary to protect victims’ identities and other personal information. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Walker-Yeager’s counsel filed those motions after alleging that the state intentionally withheld evidence in the case and are violating Walker-Yeager’s constitutional rights to a fair trial. — Sofi Zeman july 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026

Officers retrieved the body, and the identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

No Have you been charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, including adjudications of guilt withheld? — Schnelle Tonge, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2026

Meanwhile, other information is being withheld or redacted to protect victims' identities and personal information. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 16 July 2026

The person’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, police said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Many owners assume payroll taxes are handled once they're withheld. — Gary Galstyan, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

South Africa’s Treasury has withheld budget allocations for Johannesburg and dozens of other municipalities, in a crackdown on allegedly wasteful spending just months before local government elections. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 July 2026