slavery
Americannoun
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the condition of being enslaved, held, or owned as human chattel or property; bondage.
- Synonyms:
- enthrallment, thralldom
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a practice or institution that treats or recognizes some human beings as the legal property of others.
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a state of subjection like that of a slave.
He longed to escape the slavery of drug addiction.
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severe toil; drudgery.
noun
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the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune
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the subjection of a person to another person, esp in being forced into work
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the condition of being subject to some influence or habit
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work done in harsh conditions for low pay
Related Words
Slavery, bondage, servitude refer to involuntary subjection to another or others. Slavery emphasizes the idea of complete ownership and control by an owner or master: to be sold into slavery. Bondage indicates a state of subjugation or captivity often involving burdensome and degrading labor: in bondage to a cruel master. Servitude is compulsory service, often such as is required by a legal penalty: penal servitude.
Other Word Forms
- preslavery adjective
Etymology
Origin of slavery
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.
Asked about its stance on slavery reparations, the Green Party highlighted a statement from one of its subgroups - the Global Majority Greens - welcoming the UN resolution.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, objecting to slavery and the Mexican War.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
Plantation slavery was perfected in the West Indies, notably on the sugar islands of British Barbados and present-day Haiti, where the system proved immensely profitable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
From then on, the plantation system drove the expansion of slavery and the international slave trade, and eventually survived the demise of both.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
And folks say he intends to put an end to slavery.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
