withhold means an immoral action or condition (an overt) that has not been disclosed to others; the consciousness of such an action or condition. It carries an Arena rating of 1535, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, withhold ranks #1,317 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,703 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,139 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,424 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
withhold is pronounced /wɪθˈhəʊld/.
Why “withhold” is a great word
To refuse to give, grant, or allow something, especially information, consent, or money. From Middle English *withholden*, equivalent to the prefix with- (in the sense of "against, back") + hold ("to keep, possess"). Unlike "retain" (which neutrally suggests rightful possession) or "disclose" (which opens the hand to reveal), "withhold" carries the force of a deliberate, charged denial. It is the sealed envelope, the unreturned message glowing in its silence, the salary frozen in an employer's account—a quiet assertion of power in the negative space of what is not given, where trust wears thin.
Etymology
From Middle English withholden. Equivalent to with- + hold.
noun
- An immoral action or condition (an overt) that has not been disclosed to others; the consciousness of such an action or condition.
verb
- To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.e.g.“The bank withheld her credit card.”
- To keep (information, assent etc) to oneself rather than revealing it.e.g.“withhold vital information”
- To stay back, to refrain.e.g.“I’ll withhold from asking about it.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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