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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
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The ombudsman office would provide a level of protection against retaliation for those who file complaints and encourage sufficient provision of medical care in our carceral system, which is a growing necessity as our prison population rapidly ages.
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Katrina Baugh, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
Set in a nondescript but decidedly Wyoming-esque small town, Reminders of Him is a 114-minute speedrun through family trauma, grief, and the carceral state.
—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
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Katrina Baugh, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
Set in a nondescript but decidedly Wyoming-esque small town, Reminders of Him is a 114-minute speedrun through family trauma, grief, and the carceral state.
—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
See All Example Sentences for carceral
Cite this Entry
“Carceral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carceral. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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