captive
Americannoun
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a prisoner.
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a person who is enslaved or dominated.
He is the captive of his own fears.
adjective
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made or held prisoner, especially in war.
captive troops.
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kept in confinement or restraint.
captive animals.
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enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated.
her captive beau.
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of or relating to a captive.
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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.
noun
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a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war
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a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion
a captive of love
adjective
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held as prisoner
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held under restriction or control; confined
captive water held behind a dam
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captivated; enraptured
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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 ( -ive )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Teddy’s rural farmhouse, in which Stone is held captive, is a key factor for understanding Teddy’s psychology, explains Oscar-winning production designer James Price.
From Los Angeles Times
“Those able to take full advantage of a falling rate cycle, and those who are more captive to competitive pressures.”
By contrast, Mr. Kara provides more information about the captives’ journeys from Africa’s interior to its western coast, where European traders had constructed massive stone castles and forts.
When I wore a military uniform, I was in some sense a captive to power.
From Salon
That nutrient is largely absent from the diets of captive chimps and from many modern human diets.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
