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

Coding system reveals missing pages A CBS News analysis of a numerical coding system used by the DOJ to organize the Epstein files offers clues about some of the documents the department has withheld. — Daniel Ruetenik, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

For a black artist like myself, forming and writing songs for a boy band is a form of code ditching, a way of seizing aesthetics and timbres that have been unduly withheld from my predecessors. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

But questions were raised about why the DOJ initially withheld some of Jane Doe’s FBI interviews. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026

Matt lost his career after his face was disfigured, and the actor playing him withheld a major injury to avoid losing a career-changing role. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026

Johnson’s lawyers said that the state withheld evidence of monetary incentive for her testimony. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

California officials say election administration must follow applicable law and that ballots cannot be withheld on unverified allegations. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

She was paid $5,000 in 2001 for her testimony, and Johnson’s lawyers argue that the state withheld evidence of monetary motivation for the testimony. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

The American Civil Liberties Union sued in February, alleging officers hurled racial epithets, acted violently, and largely withheld food, water, bathrooms and medical care. — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2026