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

For an executive whose marginal rate is well above 22%, that gap between what's withheld and what's owed becomes a five- or six-figure surprise. — Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The identity of the man was withheld by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office pending identification and notification of kin. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

The group argues that all traders should be required to prove their identity, and payouts on suspicious trades be withheld pending investigation. — Douglas Gillison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026

Unfreezing these assets is one of the main bargaining chips in talks with Western governments, with the ban on girls’ education a key sticking point – meaning the very money that once funded that schooling is now being withheld to try to restore it. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

The raid drew criticism over separating families, and a group of Idahoans sued, saying officers hurled racial epithets and largely withheld water, food, bathrooms and medical care. — Idaho Statesman, 15 Aug. 2026

Google says it's withheld in the EU, where labelling is legally required, and in China. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026

His identity is being withheld as cops make efforts to notify his family first. — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026

The victim, whose name is being withheld at the request of detectives, is the father of an 8-year-old boy and was preparing to celebrate his 50th birthday. — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026