captivity

[kap-tiv-i-tee]

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

/ kæpˈtɪvɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being captive; imprisonment

2. the period of imprisonment

Other Word Forms

• precaptivity noun
• semicaptivity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of captivity¹

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

Example Sentences

The former French colony became a one-party communist state, King Savang Vatthana died in captivity, and centralised planning was imposed on the economy as landlocked Laos, always remote, became increasingly isolated.

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They said he is, pale, underweight and is suffering from conditions contracted in captivity.

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But because eels cannot be bred in captivity, much of the trade is in wild-caught baby eels, with one species virtually indistinguishable from another.

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Having been raised in captivity, the whales likely would not survive in the wild.

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His works include 1930s classic "La Grande Illusion", following two French prisoners of war trying to escape German captivity during World War I.

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Related Words

• bondage 
• confinement 
• custody 
• imprisonment 
• incarceration 
• slavery