chattel slavery

noun

: slavery in which a person is owned as a chattel (see chattel sense 2)

chattel slave noun

plural chattel slaves

Examples of chattel slavery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Charleston, alongside Felix, writes in a Black diasporic tradition that uses the abstract and figurative to name, address, and illuminate the materiality of Black life in the wake of chattel slavery. —Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026

More to Explore Decades before eugenics peaked around the turn of the twentieth century, eugenic thinking lay at the foundation of chattel slavery. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 6 Apr. 2026

For Jewish communities, the Exodus represents liberation from chattel slavery and the birth of a nation grounded in faith and freedom. —Jesse Jackson Jr, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026

While Uncle Tom’s Cabin played an important role in shaping antislavery sentiment ahead of the Civil War—which eventually led to a formal, if unevenly realized, end to chattel slavery—the novel has since faced significant criticism. —Tara Ramanathan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chattel slavery

• antislavery
• bravery
• knavery
• savory
• proslavery
• unsavory