confinement

noun

kən-ˈfīn-mənt How to pronounce confinement (audio)
Definition of confinementnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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 confinement Alas, Hersh was to miss the flight because he was still being held hostage, starving, tortured, and surviving on that date in terrifying confinement. — Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 Diamantis’ lawyer had asked for a period of home confinement. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026 Brown’s attorney, Ellen Comley, asked that he be sentenced to probation and home confinement. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026 The first year was to be served in home confinement without electronic monitoring. — Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confinement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confinement
  1. captivity
  2. restriction
  3. internment
  4. limitation
  5. imprisonment
  6. incarceration
  7. prison
Noun
  • In 1987, biologists captured the last free-flying condor to transfer it to captivity, and the largest flying North American bird species was officially declared extinct in the wild.
    — David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But their local expertise, connections, courage, and instincts could stave off death or captivity.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of captivity
Noun
  • For instance, the Supreme Court in late October allowed New Hampshire to enforce restrictions on using student identification cards as valid voter IDs.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026
  • McKnight ordered the restrictions after the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), which handles certain disciplinary actions involving clergy, issued a penal precept for Kallal.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of restriction
Noun
  • Adding to the dark absurdity of the situation was the fact that Seghers’s husband, the Hungarian Marxist scholar László Radványi, was being held in a French internment camp, on the basis that Hungary was a German ally.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • At the exhibition’s press opening, curator Cindy Kang talked about trying to dispel the idea that internment was an isolated incident that these artists then moved on from.
    — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • Because of this limitation, even the emergence of an antibiotic-resistant strain won’t necessarily spark a new pandemic, Wagner says, noting that such strains have already shown up in Madagascar.
    — Faye Flam, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Hurun cross-checked its information with entrepreneurs, regulators, industry experts and others to compile the list, while acknowledging limitations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of limitation
Noun
  • Douglas detailed his volatile relationship with his late father, Kirk Douglas, his son Cameron’s addiction and imprisonment, and the Stage 4 cancer diagnosis that forced him to confront his own mortality.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Florida lawmakers have demanded investigations, indictments and imprisonment for the Cuban leadership involved.
    — Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • During her incarceration, Runa stopped eating and after her release, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Some of those lawmakers also want structural shifts in the country’s penal system, drawing inspiration from the mass-incarceration model of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, if Bolsonaro wins and wants to spend funds toward that end.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • Three once high-flying brothers convicted of exploiting their wealth and access to luxury real estate to drug and rape dozens of women were sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in prison.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors had asked Caproni to sentence each brother to life in prison, while their attorneys sought the 15-year minimum.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of prison

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Cite this Entry

“Confinement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confinement. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about confinement

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