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captivity

American  
[kap-tiv-i-tee] / kæpˈtɪv ɪ ti /

noun

plural

captivities

  1. the state or period of being held, imprisoned, enslaved, or confined.

    Synonyms:
    incarceration, confinement, imprisonment, subjection, thralldom, slavery, servitude, bondage
    Antonyms:
    freedom

  2. (initial capital letter) Babylonian captivity.

captivity British  
/ kæpˈtɪvɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the condition of being captive; imprisonment

  2. the period of imprisonment

"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

Other Word Forms

  • precaptivity noun
  • semicaptivity noun

Etymology

Origin of captivity

1275–1325; Middle English captivite (< Old French ) < Latin captīvitās. See captive, -ity

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.