Synonyms of captives

captives

noun

plural of captive

as in prisoners

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

• prisoners
• internees
• captures
• convicts
• jailbirds
• arrestees
• abductees
• coprisoners
• kidnappees

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• captors
• guards
• keepers
• guardians
• wardens
• marshals
• custodians
• jailers
• kidnappers
• abductors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of captives

Alice notes that the women were not allowed to bathe or even eat every day; the women were captives, treated like animals, and the men who abused them never faced any consequences. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 27 July 2026

The captives led the horses out to graze and began to gather water and collect brush for the fires. — Literary Hub, 8 July 2026

The hijackers had threatened to execute the 106 captives if their demands were not met. — Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

It is thought to be the only slave revolution in history where the former captives overthrew their rulers and went on to govern the country themselves. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 12 June 2026

On a day in mid-July, three men kidnapped a bus full of schoolchildren and forced their captives into an underground bunker where they were buried alive. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026

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

When the male guards flee, the captives emerge into a barren plain, and the girl, the last to survive, writes about her life. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 May 2026

Mohamed Soliman admitted to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in June 2025 during a demonstration in support of Israeli captives held by Hamas, throwing two Molotov cocktails at the group, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 8 May 2026