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

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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 Even the same people who bred Flaco for captivity stumble through answers about why keeping wild animals in confinement is, somehow, the right choice for them. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 July 2026 The movie, which starred an orca named Keiko, also dispelled myths about the killer whale and inspired activism around their captivity. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 9 July 2026 Their captivity took them from western Siberia to Yekaterinburg. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026 When the Spanish settlers decamped for Cuba in 1763 after ceding Florida to the English, the few surviving Tequesta, their numbers decimated by 200 years of captivity and slavery, conflict and ill treatment, are believed to have departed with them. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
  1. internment
  2. imprisonment
  3. incarceration
  4. confinement
  5. prison
Noun
  • While the boys were raised in Hiroshima, their parents and new baby brother were sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, as the fighting continued.
    — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Established in 1855 as a military post to fight against the Mescalero Apache, the fort went on to play a minor role in the Civil War and later served as a tuberculosis sanitorium and a World War II internment camp.
    — Allison Savage Bates, Denver Post, 19 July 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • More than once, his white planter friends stood by him in court and kept him from unjust imprisonment and even execution.
    — Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • To sleuth out who the culprits are, Murashige lends on the extra-sharp deductive skills of Kanbei, who implored for death rather than imprisonment.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • Thousands gathered at the Sacramento Buddhist Church’s 80th annual Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar, an event started in 1947 as the community rebuilt following the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Gamiño was one of the people who stood outside the prison walls to welcome her out of incarceration.
    — Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • Derived in the 1950s, the Lawson Criterion describes the combinations of temperature, plasma density, and energy confinement needed to net energy production from fusion plasma.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike prisons, jails are designed for short-term detention rather than prolonged confinement.
    — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of confinement
Noun
  • The rapper, born Kentrell Gaulden, was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison with credit for time served dating back to at least May 2024.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Clancy, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder, could face life in prison if convicted.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of captivity for Spanish Speakers

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