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

That, even if someone else read the words, perhaps some part of it could be withheld, could be sheltered. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Separately, Boulos declined to confirm or deny that Washington withheld a UN General Assembly visa for Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that courts, not government agencies, must determine if public records can be legally withheld. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The United States has withheld billions of dollars from the United Nations over allegations that its budget is too large and being misused. — Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026

The woman’s identity was being withheld until her family could be notified. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Other evidence, such as the police’s other suspects, was also withheld from the jury. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 21 Sep. 2026

The victim’s name was being withheld until police notified his family. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

But Friday's versions include some details the agency had previously withheld, like the names of the agency offices that produced the documents. — Stefan Becket, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026