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
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
In many jurisdictions, the appeal of collecting is further enhanced through tax advantage, with sales exempt from capital gains thanks to wine’s classification as a wasting chattel.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
There is no question, the enslaved workers at the Nottoway Plantation during the antebellum era were human chattel.
—Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Time, 21 May 2025
Khartoum was founded as a slave market, in 1821, and Arabs continued to raid southern areas, including the Nuba Mountains, for human chattel long after the practice was outlawed, in 1924.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for chattel
Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Aug. 2025
In many jurisdictions, the appeal of collecting is further enhanced through tax advantage, with sales exempt from capital gains thanks to wine’s classification as a wasting chattel.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
There is no question, the enslaved workers at the Nottoway Plantation during the antebellum era were human chattel.
—Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Time, 21 May 2025
Khartoum was founded as a slave market, in 1821, and Arabs continued to raid southern areas, including the Nuba Mountains, for human chattel long after the practice was outlawed, in 1924.
—Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for chattel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chattel
Noun
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Obviously, that spoke to me, because my ancestors were slaves.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Newsom said in a statement that the bill sought to clarify that California’s educational institutions may consider providing a preference in admission to an applicant who was a descendant of a slave, which was not needed.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Rephayah Oselmo is wanted by the state of New York in connection with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon, according to a news release from the Marshals Service.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul on Durant, who was playing tight defense, on the Thunder’s final possession.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Wiser people don’t just look away from things that are unpleasant, especially not when the stakes are high.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
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In addition, a stranger will come to town that will shake things up for Sharon and recontextualize both her past and her present.—
Alamin Yohannes,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Island of the Dolls Truly the stuff of Chucky nightmares, Mexico’s Island of the Dolls—La Isla de las Muñecas—amid the Xochimilco canals south of Mexico City is known for hundreds of dolls displayed throughout the island.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
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And the public gets some wild movies and TV shows that would otherwise never get made, doing crazy-stupid stuff like recreating Napoleonic-era sea battles off the coast of the Galapagos.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chattel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chattel. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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