as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captive
Letitia James, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
While being held captive by Park in the season finale, Austin breaks up with Ashley.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
The ministry identified the freed captives as Russian citizen Oleg Gret and Ukrainian citizen Yuri Yurov.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captive
Adjective
For too long, Live Nation and Ticketmaster held fans captive.
—Letitia James, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
While being held captive by Park in the season finale, Austin breaks up with Ashley.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
Sports franchises everywhere can be tacky, rapacious, incompetent, extortionate, and otherwise exploitative, but only because their customers, the fans, are essentially captives.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026
The ministry identified the freed captives as Russian citizen Oleg Gret and Ukrainian citizen Yuri Yurov.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captive
Adjective
-
Throughout the series, Creasy is operating under the intel that the FRP, an extremist organization in Brazil, and its imprisoned leader, Ferraz, are behind the bombing of the high-rise.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
-
Yenisey Taboada’s small apartment in Havana is filled with photos of her imprisoned son, Duannis Tabaoda.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Levi observed that the prisoners with no knowledge of German—in other words, almost all of the Italians—died shortly after their arrival.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
-
With Pope Francis’ assistance, Biden officials turned their efforts to the 553 prisoners the regime would give up.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
On many mornings, shackled migrants plead guilty to military trespass charges rather than remain jailed awaiting trial.—
Agnel Philip,
ProPublica,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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