1
as in slave
a person who is considered the property of another person
an amendment to end the keeping of humans as chattel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in possession
chattels plural
transportable items that one owns
packed up all her chattels and moved to a new state
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chattel
Before meeting Rael-Gálvez, Daria Celeste Landress had learned while researching her family history that three Indigenous ancestors had been listed in historical documents as chattel, alongside furniture, houses, and trees.
—
Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Patriarchal cultures reduce women to economic dependence, treating them as a form of chattel to be traded among families.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
There was no forgetting the notorious Confederate prison camps like Andersonville and Salisbury, the Confederate pogrom at Fort Pillow, and the fact that the South had seceded in the first place to perpetuate and expand an elite-serving economy based on human chattel.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2025
Only a racist would dare to defend or dismiss slavery, which stripped Africans of human rights and enslaved them as chattel to pick cotton on Southern plantations.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chattel
Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2026
Patriarchal cultures reduce women to economic dependence, treating them as a form of chattel to be traded among families.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
There was no forgetting the notorious Confederate prison camps like Andersonville and Salisbury, the Confederate pogrom at Fort Pillow, and the fact that the South had seceded in the first place to perpetuate and expand an elite-serving economy based on human chattel.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 5 Oct. 2025
Only a racist would dare to defend or dismiss slavery, which stripped Africans of human rights and enslaved them as chattel to pick cotton on Southern plantations.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chattel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chattel
Noun
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The plan also urges African countries to preserve former slave forts and castles as memorial sites.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2026
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Haiti is the world’s first Black independent republic after African slaves defeated Napoleon’s army and broke the shackles of slavery.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
20 June 2026
Noun
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Multiple possession swings gave the Japanese some threats in the box, but the Samurai Blue couldn’t find the back of the net, leading to a 0-0 score at the break.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
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Angel Reese made sure Atlanta had enough possessions to make that run happen.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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And as things like broadcast quality and stadium design become more and more homogenised, making every tournament look more and more similar, kit design is more and more important to their visual identity.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Some things — Shar Peis, linen pants, prunes — are just supposed to have wrinkles.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Will Smith traversed the globe for 100 days and did a whole bunch of adventure-quest stuff on the Disney Plus/National Geographic series Pole to Pole With Will Smith.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
20 June 2026
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And the longer-term stuff that even those close to him might not have recognized.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chattel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chattel. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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