captivity

[kap-tiv-i-tee]

noun

plural

captivities 

1. the state or period of being held, imprisoned, enslaved, or confined.

   Synonyms: incarceration, confinement, imprisonment, subjection, thralldom, slavery, servitude, bondage
   Antonyms: freedom

2. (initial capital letter),  Babylonian captivity.

captivity

/ kæpˈtɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being captive; imprisonment

2. the period of imprisonment

Other Word Forms

• precaptivity noun
• semicaptivity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of captivity¹

1275–1325; Middle English captivite (< Old French ) < Latin captīvitās. See captive, -ity

Example Sentences

Adam was released after hours of interrogation, but he said many others remain in captivity.

Read more on Barron's

Some suffered through years of cruel captivity in North Vietnamese prisoner camps, since Hanoi refused to release them until Nixon and Kissinger withdrew the last American troops.

Read more on Salon

Comparing zoo and wild data showed that while the differences were smaller in captivity, they rarely disappeared altogether.

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Otter 841 was born in captivity to a mother who had been captured after spending too much time interacting with people and their watercraft.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It's impossible to forget even a single moment of my captivity," the 53-year-old Israeli former hostage told AFP in an interview on Monday.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• bondage 
• confinement 
• custody 
• imprisonment 
• incarceration 
• slavery