received

American  

[ri-seevd] / rɪˈsivd /

adjective

1. generally or traditionally accepted; conventional; standard.

   a received moral idea.

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received British  

/ rɪˈsiːvd /

adjective

1. generally accepted or believed

   received wisdom

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Other Word Forms

• well-received adjective

Etymology

Origin of received

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; receive + -ed ²

Explanation

Received is an adjective that refers to something that is largely accepted as true or good. It’s also the past participle of the verb receive. If you rely on received wisdom, you might not ever come up with an original idea. Received, meaning “generally accepted as true or worthy,” was first recorded in the fifteenth century as the past participle adjective of receive, a verb meaning “accept.” So, that which has been accepted, has been received, or noted as correct or good. More specifically, received can be used to refer to established truths, like that failing to drink enough water can lead to dehydration. It's one of those words that actually follows the rule "i before e except after c."

Example Sentences

Raman has already received about $612,000 in matching funds, putting her total proceeds above $1.1 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

“I think they were impressed with the validation that we’ve received from our tier one customers,” CEO J. Clay Sell told Barron’s on Friday.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Amazon has said it received a commitment of more than five gigawatts of new nuclear energy from X-Energy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The court documents state he received $1,500 from one of the alleged plotters.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

At midday, Maggie still had received no word from Elisha.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• accepted
• acknowledged
• collected
• earned