as in slavery
the state of being an enslaved person
having known the misery of enslavement first hand, Frederick Douglass went on devote his life to the cause of making others free
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Recent Examples of enslavement
In 1530 the Spanish bishop Bartolome de las Casas urged the Spanish Cortes to ban the enslavement of Indigenous persons.
—
Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
Jewish believers have had to come to terms with the inarguable truth that the story of the Hebrew enslavement, flight, and deliverance from Egypt is almost entirely mythical.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Luxury yachters, kayakers, and recreational fishermen routinely navigate these waterways without knowing their connection to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Also on view are photos by Adrian Burrell, a third-generation resident of Oakland, California, whose photos are inspired by a family history of enslavement that threads from Senegal to Louisiana.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The tours cover the estate’s architecture, its history with horse breeding and racing and the journey from enslavement to emancipation of the African Americans who lived there.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first story, a couple worry about how a possible family curse that began when an ancestor made a bargain to escape enslavement might affect their happy life.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
The list of 10 afflictions is found in the Book of Exodus, in which the Ten Plagues serve as a series of divine acts meant to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The Italian explorer's journey also set the stage for colonization and enslavement, and academics and activists in recent years have called for an end to honoring him, noting the brutal treatment of Indigenous people that followed his arrival on the continent.
—Dan Diamond, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
Jewish believers have had to come to terms with the inarguable truth that the story of the Hebrew enslavement, flight, and deliverance from Egypt is almost entirely mythical.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Luxury yachters, kayakers, and recreational fishermen routinely navigate these waterways without knowing their connection to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Also on view are photos by Adrian Burrell, a third-generation resident of Oakland, California, whose photos are inspired by a family history of enslavement that threads from Senegal to Louisiana.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The tours cover the estate’s architecture, its history with horse breeding and racing and the journey from enslavement to emancipation of the African Americans who lived there.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first story, a couple worry about how a possible family curse that began when an ancestor made a bargain to escape enslavement might affect their happy life.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
The list of 10 afflictions is found in the Book of Exodus, in which the Ten Plagues serve as a series of divine acts meant to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026
The Italian explorer's journey also set the stage for colonization and enslavement, and academics and activists in recent years have called for an end to honoring him, noting the brutal treatment of Indigenous people that followed his arrival on the continent.
—Dan Diamond, Arkansas Online, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslavement
slavery
Noun
-
Most of the long montage took issue with what the band presented as America’s historic misdeeds, from the era of slavery up through America’s missile strikes in Iran.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Kellerman recalled that most of these direct victims were sold into slavery by other Africans and were not captured by Europeans.—
Nicole Winfield,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enslavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslavement. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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