captive

1 of 2

adjective

cap·​tive ˈkap-tiv 

1

a

: taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war

b(1)

: kept within bounds : confined

(2)

: of or relating to captive animals

captive breeding

2

: held under control of another but having the appearance of independence

especially : owned or controlled by another concern and operated for its needs rather than for an open market

a captive mine

3

: being such involuntarily because of a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult

a captive audience

captive

2 of 2

noun

plural captives

1

: one who has been captured : one taken and held usually in confinement

Something there is in us that finds captivity captivating, particularly when the captives are prisoners of war.

—David Murray

He said that while one of the war-boats was being made ready to take the captives into the lagoon, he and his sister left the camp quietly and got away in their canoe.

—Joseph Conrad

2

: one captivated, dominated, or controlled

a captive to love

Unlike so many experts pronouncing on that subject today, though, he has never been a captive of a particular ideology or of a well-heeled interest group.

—Uwe E. Reinhardt

Crescent City residents love their culinary customs—too much, according to some critics, who complain that the city's chefs are captives of the past.

—Mitch Frank

Synonyms

Adjective

• imprisoned
• arrested
• captured
• jailed
• interned

Noun

• prisoner

Examples of captive in a Sentence

Adjective

The captive soldiers planned their escape.

the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards

Noun

the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The families of Israeli hostages who’ve been held captive since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, are calling for a nationwide strike to protest the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to take over Gaza City. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025

Already, some captive breeding programs have proven successful at the California Academy of Sciences, Moss Landing Marine Labs, and the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Lab, among others. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025

Noun

Crafted from resilience and hope, his stories enthrall his fellow captives, and capture the attention of Hasan (Alessandro Borghi), the enigmatic and feared Bey of Algiers, igniting a secret affinity between captor and captive. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025

Once, ships had carried slaves across the Atlantic as part of a triangular trade in captives and commodities that connected the international élite to sadistic violence in Africa and the Americas. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin captivus, from captus, past participle of capere

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing captive

• captive audience

Rhymes for captive

• adaptive
• maladaptive

Kids Definition

captive

1 of 2 adjective

cap·​tive

ˈkap-tiv

1

: taken and held prisoner especially in war

2

: held or confined so as to prevent escape

a captive animal

3

: in a situation that makes free choice or leaving difficult

the airline passengers were a captive audience

captivity

kap-ˈtiv-ət-ē

noun

captive

2 of 2 noun

: one that is captive : prisoner