Synonyms of captive

captive 1 of 2

adjective

ˈkap-tiv 

as in imprisoned

taken and held prisoner

the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imprisoned
• arrested
• captured
• jailed
• interned
• incarcerated
• confined
• kidnapped
• enslaved
• caught
• trapped
• behind bars
• apprehended
• bound
• abducted
• indentured
• occupied
• subdued
• subjugated
• ensnared

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• free
• unrestrained
• unconfined
• released
• liberated
• freed
• emancipated
• delivered
• paroled
• enfranchised

captive

2 of 2

noun

as in prisoner

one that has been taken and held in confinement

the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prisoner
• capture
• internee
• convict
• jailbird
• arrestee
• abductee
• coprisoner
• kidnappee

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• guard
• captor
• guardian
• keeper
• warden
• marshal
• custodian
• jailer
• kidnapper
• abductor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of captive

Adjective

But some of the most poignant narratives come from Trojan women like Creusa, wife of Aeneas who escapes Troy and becomes a founding father for Rome, and Hector’s wife, Andromache, who is taken as a war captive by Achilles’s son. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Meanwhile, their son Telemachus is told by the goddess Athena (Zendaya) to seek news of his father and learns Odysseus is alive, but held captive by a nymph (Charlize Theron). — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Noun

From France’s port cities, dozens of ships sailed for Africa every year, where merchants purchased human captives to be sold in the colonies. — Jeremy D. Popkin, The Conversation, 28 May 2026

But no need to worry—the clever teen isn’t exploiting the toil of a joyless captive. — Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 27 May 2026