enslaved
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of enslaved
First recorded in 1660–70; enslave ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
He enslaved more than 100 people at Mount Vernon, and historians continue to grapple with the contradiction between the nation’s founding ideals and the human bondage practiced by its first president, among his strong mythology.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The insect’s first trips west came soon after, as the transatlantic slave trade brought ships packed with enslaved Africans to the New World.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Dame Sarah Mullally was speaking on a visit to Cape Coast Castle in Ghana where enslaved Africans were held before being trafficked to the Americas.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Black people who were enslaved were undoubtedly domiciled here, but the same is not true of temporary visitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
It must have really sucked to be enslaved, but once Mom gets started telling her stories, there’s no stopping her.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
