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Carceral is a member of a small but imposing family: like its close relations incarcerate (meaning "to imprison") and incarceration (meaning "confinement in a jail or prison"), its ultimate source is the Latin word for "prison," carcer. All three words have been in use since the 16th century, and all three are more common today than they were a century ago. Carceral has always been the rarest of the group, but its use has increased significantly since the turn of the current century, most often within academic or legal contexts.
Examples of carceral in a Sentence
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2026
Individuals who were sentenced as youth — and their family members — say coming of age in a carceral environment can be dangerous.
—Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Foucault did not want simply to write a history of prisons but to produce an account of how power circulates in modern society—not merely through the carceral system but also in universities, medical institutions, the workplace, and the military.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The global carceral system rests on institutions and policies that claim reform yet reproduce control.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carceral
Cite this Entry
“Carceral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carceral. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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