BRIDEWELLS Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

bridewells

noun

plural of bridewell

as in penitentiaries

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody the citadel was later converted into a bridewell to house the city's growing criminal population

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outsides

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bridewells

Noun

Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.

— Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026
This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.

— Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026

Definition of penitentiaries

Noun

That’s where the 70-story new tower comes in, generating not only profits for the developer but also a stream of tax dollars that could support the old tower — money that would otherwise go to fund county police, jails, parks and transit.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
Several other contractors’ jails and treatment centers across the state are referenced by name in the lawsuit.

— Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of jails

Noun

Reports also describe people in prisons and jails around the country being routinely beaten, among other abuse.

— Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
The lawsuit over healthcare for incarcerated people covers Arizona’s nine state-run prisons but not the nearly 10,000 Arizona inmates held in private prisons.

— Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of prisons

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.

Browse Nearby Words

bridewell

bridewells

bridge

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bridewells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bridewells. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bridewells

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

regimen

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes