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

"Renewables offer safer, cheaper, cleaner energy that can't be held captive by narrow shipping straits, or global conflicts," Stiell said.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky said 2,000 Ukrainian children had been brought back from Russia and Russian-occupied territories, but that thousands more remained "captive."

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Morris was initially attracted to watching captive human interaction on such an industrial scale but, put off by the game-show element, he turned them down.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

You’re captive at the festival and you can’t bring food in with you.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The captive sparrow fluttered her wings against the upturned basket.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

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