captive

American  

[kap-tiv] / ˈkæp tɪv /

noun

1. a prisoner.

2. a person who is enslaved or dominated.

   He is the captive of his own fears.

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adjective

1. made or held prisoner, especially in war.

   captive troops.

2. kept in confinement or restraint.

   captive animals.

3. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated.

   her captive beau.

4. of or relating to a captive.

5. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public.

   a captive shop;

   a captive mine.

captive British  

/ ˈkæptɪv /

noun

1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war

2. a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion

   a captive of love

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adjective

1. held as prisoner

2. held under restriction or control; confined

   captive water held behind a dam

3. captivated; enraptured

4. unable by circumstances to avoid speeches, advertisements, etc (esp in the phrase captive audience )

Other Word Forms

• noncaptive adjective
• pseudocaptive adjective

Etymology

Origin of captive

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Middle French, from Latin captīvus, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -īvus adjective suffix ( see -ive)

Explanation

A captive is something that has been captured and can’t escape, like a prisoner of war or a panda in a zoo. To be captured on the battlefield, and held captive is not so great, but captive doesn’t always describe things that are completely bad, like its synonym, hostage. If you fall in love you might say your heart is being held captive. Ideas that entrance you could be called captivating. Sometimes endangered animals are brought into captivity in order to breed larger populations, and then released into the wild.

Example Sentences

Peace may not be an option, because their prison guard is former Bowser captive Lumalee.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The case claims the shop built into the PlayStation's operating system was designed to make players a "captive class".

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

It wasn’t long before Hill realized she had a captive audience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

For decades, great cities benefited from a relatively captive tax base.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

And a robust captive breeding program in China helps ensure a growing panda population.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

• detainee
• hostage
• prisoner
• prisoner of war
• slave