captive

[kap-tiv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR captive ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a prisoner.

a person who is enslaved or dominated; slave: He is the captive of his own fears.

adjective

made or held prisoner, especially in war: captive troops.

kept in confinement or restraint: captive animals.

enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated: her captive beau.

of or relating to a captive.

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.

Origin of captive

1300–50; Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin captīvus, equivalent to capt(us) taken (past participle of capere to take) + -īvus -ive

Related formsnon·cap·tive, adjectivepseu·do·cap·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for captive

incommunicado, imprisoned, enslaved, hostage, prisoner, slave, detainee, bound, convict, con, bondwoman, internee, bondman, confined, restricted, ensnared, incarcerated, penned, bewitched, charmed

Examples from the Web for captive

Contemporary Examples of captive

Sabrine reports that the latest demands by ISIS militants are three prisoners for every captive soldier.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda
Ruth Michaelson
December 26, 2014
This time the captive was forced to make a speech blaming the British government for his death.
ISIS Murder of British Hostage Likely to Draw UK Deeper Into New War
Nico Hines
September 13, 2014
Italy has been known to pay ransom for its captive nationals in the past.
Families of Italian Aid Workers Held by ISIS Fear for Their Lives After Foley's Death
Barbie Latza Nadeau
August 22, 2014
The oldest of the captive sisters was pretending to be the mother of the youngest girl, hoping they would be kept together.
Hanifa's Story: Her Five Sisters Taken by ISIS to Be Sold or Worse
Christine van den Toorn
August 19, 2014
Asian slapstick humor does not translate well, and most of the captive audience agreed, although they grudgingly watched it.
Prisoners Get Cultural Fix with 8-Tracks and Bootleg Cassettes
Daniel Genis
August 18, 2014

Historical Examples of captive

Shortly after, the captive Duke was one morning found weeping.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
"Evidently they fell out about the possession of the captive," suggested von Horn.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs
There were yet other rude experiences in store for the captive.
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton
It reminds me, a captive by the waters of Babylon, that God is ever with the friendless.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
In one of these toads and adders were the companions of the captive.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield

British Dictionary definitions for captive

captive

noun

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

a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotiona captive of love

adjective

held as prisoner

held under restriction or control; confinedcaptive water held behind a dam

captivated; enraptured

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

Word Origin for captive

C14: from Latin captīvus, from capere to take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for captive

adj.

late 14c., "imprisoned, enslaved," from Latin captivus "caught, taken prisoner," from captus, past participle of capere "to take, hold, seize" (see capable). As a noun from c.1400; an Old English noun was hæftling, from hæft "taken, seized."