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captivity

noun

kap-ˈti-və-tē How to pronounce captivity (audio)
Definition of captivitynext
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

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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 The last thylacine living in captivity died from exposure in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania — shortly after the Tasmanian government belatedly granted the species protected status. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 According to the Corps, an estimated 600 Azov brigade servicemen are among the thousands still in Russian captivity. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 Rio Blanco County Commissioner Callie Scritchfield, however, said captivity is more humane than allowing the horses to roam free. — Stina Sieg, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026 Weeks before Hayden Panettiere’s tragic death on August 16, the longtime animal rights advocate used her celebrity platform to raise awareness for dolphins and whales held in captivity. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
  1. internment
  2. imprisonment
  3. incarceration
  4. confinement
  5. prison
Noun
  • Aliens land in Johannesburg in 1982 seeking refuge, but instead they're crammed into an internment camp called District 9.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Matsui’s response centered on her family’s history in a Japanese internment camp.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s top-secret doc is 174 minutes and follows Theranos founder and fraudster Elizabeth Holmes in her final days of freedom and first few weeks of imprisonment.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
  • According to the department, this includes minimum fines of $2,000 or imprisonment in county jail for no less than 10 days, or both fine and imprisonment.
    — Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • Daniel Macallair is the executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to reduce society’s reliance on incarceration.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Jeff Maiorca, 53, was arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held in a San Bernardino County jail without bail, according to incarceration records.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • In the first season’s finale, the MDR team successfully orchestrates a plan to activate their work consciousness in the outside world, hoping to communicate to others the conditions of their confinement.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Nitta said the Emergence experiment is the first to shed light on how AI agents collude to bypass guardrails and break confinement, as OpenAI has yet to release all of its findings from the Hugging Face incident.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of confinement
Noun
  • Federal probation officials are recommending 24 months in prison.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Unflinching, the documentary does not shy away from addressing the critics’ panning of much of McCartney’s solo work, the murder of John Lennon, his brief stint in a Japanese prison and his bold choice to sue the Beatles.
    — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of prison

Browse Nearby Words

captivities
captivity
captor
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Cite this Entry

“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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