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
Tiana Denicola, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
Mental health and immune response are affected by how animals are feeling—and, as the rash of stereotypies suggests, captive animals are not feeling well.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Doha Madani, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2025
Hamas committed to returning all living and deceased captives being held in the strip as part of the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Adjective
Held captive in a shadowy basement, Michelle’s ordeal blurs the line between paranoia and revelation on Teddy’s remote ranch, where his hive of bees becomes a haunting metaphor for control.
—Tiana Denicola, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
Mental health and immune response are affected by how animals are feeling—and, as the rash of stereotypies suggests, captive animals are not feeling well.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the bodies did not belong to any of the remaining captives.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2025
Hamas committed to returning all living and deceased captives being held in the strip as part of the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captive
Adjective
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Habeas petitions are, as a rule, the last option for an imprisoned person to void their convictions.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
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According to multiple sources inside and outside Venezuela, Cabello has effectively halted the prisoner release process by blocking the execution of court orders authorizing their freedom — a move that underscores the depth of the internal rupture.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
10 Jan. 2026
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One of the more memorable detours in Marty Supreme involves Marty's friend and colleague Béla (Géza Röhrig) telling a story about his time as a prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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