captivity
Americannoun
plural
captivities-
the state or period of being held, imprisoned, enslaved, or confined.
- Synonyms:
- incarceration, confinement, imprisonment, subjection, thralldom, slavery, servitude, bondage
- Antonyms:
- freedom
-
(initial capital letter) Babylonian captivity.
noun
-
the condition of being captive; imprisonment
-
the period of imprisonment
Other Word Forms
- precaptivity noun
- semicaptivity noun
Etymology
Origin of captivity
1275–1325; Middle English captivite (< Old French ) < Latin captīvitās. See captive, -ity
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.
The voice, exuberant and straightforward for Churchill the small child, matures as he weathers the frustrations of schooling, survives war and captivity in South Africa, and steps onto the floor of Parliament in 1901.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
"It's like a second birthday. There are no words. You get goosebumps. It brings tears to your eyes," Yaroslav Rumyantsev, who was released after 39 months in Russian captivity, said.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
During the trial, the court also heard that, for the length of K's captivity, Wixon claimed benefits on her behalf.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Five years later, all the remaining wild condors were captured and bred in captivity to try to stave off extinction.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
He had bred the first peregrines in captivity and, using an ancient technique called hacking, had been able to free them to the wild.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
