adjective
-
owing gratitude for help, favours, etc; obligated
-
owing money
Other Word Forms
- preindebted adjective
- preindebtedness noun
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.
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
He emphasized that he doesn’t want people becoming indebted to the IRS because of their beliefs.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
“The greatest genius,” he writes, “is the most indebted man,” someone deeply connected with others and who possesses “a heart in unison with his time and country.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
“We are indebted to his many contributions and will forever carry with us the many lessons learned,” wrote current chair Gabriel Gutierrez.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
“Amal is a servant in their home. What power do you think she has? Look how indebted we are.”
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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.
