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servitude

American  
[sur-vi-tood, -tyood] / ˈsɜr vɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

  1. slavery or bondage of any kind.

    political or intellectual servitude.
    Synonyms:
    thralldom, serfdom
    Antonyms:
    liberty

  2. compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals.

    penal servitude.

  3. Law. a right possessed by one person to use another's property.

servitude British  
/ ˈsɜːvɪˌtjuːd /

noun

  1. the state or condition of a slave; bondage

  2. the state or condition of being subjected to or dominated by a person or thing

    servitude to drink

  3. law a burden attaching to an estate for the benefit of an adjoining estate or of some definite person See also easement

  4. short for penal servitude

"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

Related Words

See slavery.

Etymology

Origin of servitude

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin servitūdō, equivalent to servi-, combining form of servus “slave” + -tūdō, -tude

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.

Sara suddenly found herself unwillingly living a life of servitude.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025

The Declaration proclaimed all men created equal, yet the new nation’s economy depended on enslaved labor in the South and indentured servitude in the North.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Six seasons of TV and three feature films depict servitude as a benevolent state, sometimes verging on jolly.

From Salon • Nov. 1, 2025

In recent years, seven states have outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude in their constitutions, including Colorado in 2018, Utah and Nebraska in 2020, and Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2024

He wished for the months to fly by, for her to be appointed Champion, and then, once her years of servitude were over, to be gone.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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.