as in internment
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the wildlife refuge raises endangered species in captivity and then releases them into the wild
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of captivity
This frog, Ctenophryne aterrima, was first spotted in 1987 and lived in captivity for nearly 37 years.
—
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
In zoos, the architecture of captivity arguably finds its most devious achievement, because the designers want to hide the cages and accommodate masses of spectators.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Preá gathers enough money to attempt buying Janalice out of captivity, seeing this as his only way to rescue her.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip attend a rally demanding their release from Hamas captivity and calling for an end to the war, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, August 9, 2025.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
In zoos, the architecture of captivity arguably finds its most devious achievement, because the designers want to hide the cages and accommodate masses of spectators.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Preá gathers enough money to attempt buying Janalice out of captivity, seeing this as his only way to rescue her.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 20 Aug. 2025
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip attend a rally demanding their release from Hamas captivity and calling for an end to the war, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, August 9, 2025.
—Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
-
Ameya sits down with her neighbor's 84-year-old grandmother, who was forced out of California and sent to an internment camp in Wyoming as a young girl.—
Steve Drummond,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The worst part of the internment was its indeterminacy.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Still grieving the death of his wife and the imprisonment of his son, Brandis binges on booze but possesses a sharp and intuitive mind, even if his family life is in disarray.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The two men care for each other amidst the squalid conditions of their imprisonment in 1970s Argentina.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But my incarceration now, like my glorious delusion then, cannot quell that yearning for something more.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The mix of short-term detainees and long-haul prisoners makes SeaTac a unique microcosm of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), where courtroom drama and the gritty realities of incarceration meet under one roof.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In a population already at higher risk of illness due to stress and confinement, these oversights can quickly escalate into medical emergencies.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Discontent with confinement and mistreatment, some attempt to escape and even attack their peers.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Scott was convicted of murder and sent to prison.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Barr was attorney general when Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019, a death that was later deemed a suicide.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share