incarcerated

adjective

in·​car·​cer·​at·​ed in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrā-təd How to pronounce incarcerated (audio)
1
: confined in a jail or prison
Michigan law allows convicted felons to vote and run for office unless they are currently incarcerated, or if their offenses are fraud-related or constitute a breach of public trust.The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant
… whatever was needed for her programs combating domestic violence and aiding incarcerated women, ex-offenders, and their children.Peter Steinfels
Comparing the responses of incarcerated boys with nondelinquent adolescents, Scarpitti (1980) describes the three most probable identity resolutions …Judith Steven-Long et al.
2
medical, of a hernia : constricted but not strangulated
Within the incarcerated, herniated gastric cardia, there was an acute, benign gastric ulcer.Gregory J. Gallivan

Examples of incarcerated in a Sentence

incarcerated residents of that state are still allowed to vote in elections
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The California Medical Facility is the largest hospital for incarcerated people in the state. Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2025 Some incarcerated people have published their first professional publications through it. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025 That said, lawmakers have made some attempts to introduce legislative protections for adequate menstrual care for incarcerated people. Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025 The deaths do more than cause grief for decedents’ families and traumatize the incarcerated people who witness them. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025 Jeremy Busby is an incarcerated journalist based in Texas. Jeremy Busby, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025 The class begins with incarcerated people being taught general knowledge of the industry. Sydney Sasser, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2025 Back in 2012, the two starred in The Paperboy, in which Efron’s wide-eyed character falls for an older woman (Kidman) who is in love with an incarcerated murderer. Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024 Kapusta used JPay, a messaging system for communicating with incarcerated people, to send the messages, Hall said. Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 23 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of incarcerated was in 1766

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Cite this Entry

“Incarcerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerated. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

incarcerated

adjective
in·​car·​cer·​at·​ed in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt-əd How to pronounce incarcerated (audio)
of a hernia
: constricted but not strangulated

More from Merriam-Webster on incarcerated

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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