Synonyms of confinement

confinement

noun

kən-ˈfīn-mənt 

1

as in captivity

the act of confining or the state of being confined

some wild animals take to confinement very poorly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• captivity
• internment
• imprisonment
• incarceration
• prison
• impoundment
• servitude
• bondage
• immurement
• enslavement
• restriction
• custody
• arrest
• detention
• capture
• restraint
• entrapment
• house arrest
• detainer
• detainment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• release
• liberation
• emancipation
• redemption
• freedom
• independence
• liberty
• manumission

2

as in restriction

the act or practice of keeping something (as an activity) within certain boundaries

the confinement of commercial development to one stretch of roadway is intended to help preserve the town's rural character

Synonyms & Similar Words

• restriction
• limitation
• constraint
• isolation
• stint
• circumscription
• segregation
• restraint
• containment
• rein

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of confinement

The Air Force said Watson will be held in pre-trial confinement. — Charlie D'agata, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

In 1842, the appellate court reduced the offense from a premeditated breach of duty to a negligent one, acquitted Ebel of founding a sect, and quashed his confinement. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

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