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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 enslavement
The network promotes the history of resistance to enslavement through historic sites having verifiable connections to the Underground Railroad.
—
Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
They were deliberately constructed to justify enslavement, land theft and unequal treatment under the law.
—Rosalind Osgood, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the work, traditional folklore and marvelous, uncanny incidents are often the sites of resistance against colonialism or enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Now, she is being recast as a brilliant linguist who survived conquest, enslavement and patriarchy.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
By the early 20th century, after several centuries of rape, disease, enslavement, and land confiscation by colonizers, rubber barons, and loggers, their numbers had been reduced to 300.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Xiaolu Guo recasts Ishmael as a 17-year-old girl disguised as a cabin boy and Ahab as a Black freedman named Seneca, haunted by his father’s legacy of enslavement.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 6 Jan. 2026
Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Jan. 2026
The area was once the site of a community center that was the heart of a historic Black community founded by people freed from enslavement.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026
They were deliberately constructed to justify enslavement, land theft and unequal treatment under the law.
—Rosalind Osgood, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the work, traditional folklore and marvelous, uncanny incidents are often the sites of resistance against colonialism or enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Now, she is being recast as a brilliant linguist who survived conquest, enslavement and patriarchy.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
By the early 20th century, after several centuries of rape, disease, enslavement, and land confiscation by colonizers, rubber barons, and loggers, their numbers had been reduced to 300.
—Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Xiaolu Guo recasts Ishmael as a 17-year-old girl disguised as a cabin boy and Ahab as a Black freedman named Seneca, haunted by his father’s legacy of enslavement.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 6 Jan. 2026
Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 6 Jan. 2026
The area was once the site of a community center that was the heart of a historic Black community founded by people freed from enslavement.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslavement
slavery
Noun
-
At the time, abolitionists committed to the eradication of slavery remained a small minority, and most Northerners belonged to either the Whig or Democratic parties.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Only during the last months of the war, with slavery disintegrating and northern victory all but assured, did exchanges resume.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enslavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslavement. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
