adjective
-
owing gratitude for help, favours, etc; obligated
-
owing money
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indebted
1175–1225; in- 2 + debt + -ed 2; replacing Middle English endetted < Old French endetté, past participle of endetter to involve in debt ( see en- 1)
Explanation
When you’re indebted to someone, you owe that person something. It could be that you owe money, or it could be you’re just grateful for a nice thing the person did. You probably notice a big chunk of the word indebted is made up of the words “in debt.” If you’re indebted to someone you are indeed in debt — for either money or gratitude. You might be indebted to your credit card company, meaning you owe them money. Then you might be indebted to your mom when she gives you a small loan to pay the bill, meaning you owe her gratitude for bailing you out.
Vocabulary lists containing indebted
Bless Me, Ultima
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Island of the Blue Dolphins
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Amal Unbound
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ionesco’s brand of absurdism is indebted to classic French farce, which is redeployed in lunatic fashion to lampoon the nonsensical nature of human existence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
He may also be one of the world’s most indebted men—even before he guaranteed more than $40 billion for the Warner Bros. deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Evergrande became known as the world's most indebted property developer after much of its empire was built on $300bn of borrowed money.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Global Payments, 4.7 times earnings, and Fiserv, seven times, are heavily indebted players in a decidedly unsexy part of fintech: processing card payments for merchants.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
The thought came unbidden, seizing him with iron teeth, but this was not a woman he cared to be indebted to, not even for his little sister.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
