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 group has recovered the identities of 140 grandchildren taken from their families as infants or born in captivity.
From Barron's
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.
In the wild, the species typically has a lifespan of 15-18 years but they have been known to live beyond 20 in captivity.
From BBC
Chase’s mother once lived in the wild, but Chase was born in captivity.
"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
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.
