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
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Recent Examples of captivity
Fatou, the world’s oldest gorilla living in captivity, rang in her 69th birthday with a celebratory spread fit for a beloved elder — no cake required.
—
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Watani Stiner is a memoirist and former Black Power activist whose writing explores revolution, exile, captivity, and reconciliation with family and history.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
He was brutally tortured during his captivity and held in solitary confinement for four of the years he was detained but stalwartly refused to provide the North Vietnamese with information.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
During his captivity, Salomon, who was multilingual, served as a translator between British and Hessian forces — convincing some of them to desert or turn to the American side.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Watani Stiner is a memoirist and former Black Power activist whose writing explores revolution, exile, captivity, and reconciliation with family and history.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
He was brutally tortured during his captivity and held in solitary confinement for four of the years he was detained but stalwartly refused to provide the North Vietnamese with information.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026
During his captivity, Salomon, who was multilingual, served as a translator between British and Hessian forces — convincing some of them to desert or turn to the American side.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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Season 5 begins with Hughie, Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) imprisoned in one of Vought’s internment camps, with Homelander set to execute them.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
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Some like Sarkar equated a detention center in Dublin to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II or to the Jewish concentration camps of Nazi Germany.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There are countless cases in which federal courts found harsh and inadequate conditions of imprisonment that violate the Constitution.—
Erwin Chemerinsky,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Tarrio was notably sentenced to the longest term of imprisonment among all of the nearly 1,600 individuals charged in connection with the attack.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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More than 700 defendants completed their sentences or did not receive sentences of incarceration.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Tracie Bernardi Guzman, founder of Reentry Solutions CT, an organization that supports individuals returning from incarceration, said relationships and mentorship are important from the first day girls enter the system.—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Investigations following a Russian drone strike in 2025 indicate that the NSC’s specialized confinement functions are now compromised.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Apr. 2026
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Two years later, at age 19, Holmes and Alexander pleaded no contest to second-degree murder, receiving terms of confinement that can go no later than their 25th birthdays, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Back then, Motta was still in law school and Alfortish had only just been released from prison.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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After being admonished by the judge, Terry Rose listens as he is sentenced to 40 years in prison.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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