as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner
incarcerated residents of that state are still allowed to vote in elections
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in jailed
to put in or as if in prison
the state incarcerated over 1900 people last year
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 incarcerated
Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
State officials are investigating the death Thursday of an incarcerated man at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Advocates for incarcerated people say the parole process is rigorous and shouldn’t be politicized.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
That raises the question, will the next governor continue Newsom’s emphasis on rehabilitation for incarcerated people or move in a different direction?
—Adam Ashton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
As of March 4, 280 people had been released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement from LMDC, while another 67 incarcerated people have holds, according to Collins.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
Darlene Edwards and Frank Sheppard remain incarcerated.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Instead, commissioners assess whether an incarcerated person currently presents an unreasonable risk to the community.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2026
The family of Cherrie Mahan, the 8-year-old girl who disappeared 41 years ago Sunday, is hoping an incarcerated man could be the key to bringing their decades-long nightmare to a close.
—Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
According to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, Green was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and is incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
More than 20 fair-chance employers gathered to hire those who were once incarcerated.
—Derek James, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
The brothers, incarcerated since their 2024 arrests, face up to life in prison.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
Authorities said Epstein died by suicide while incarcerated in Manhattan in 2019.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, is currently incarcerated at the Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas.
—News Desk, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
Meyer suggested that people facing decades in prison may be motivated to change for the better while incarcerated in order to earn a sentence reduction, and said the state could see longer-term savings in prison costs.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2026
Jill Hanlin spent many years either incarcerated or on supervision after release, and consequently has spent time ineligible to cast a ballot in the state of Missouri.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Ongoing lawsuits Understaffing can have critical impacts on incarcerated care, and Dallas County has had hundreds of detention officer vacancies through Sheriff Brown’s tenure.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
State officials are investigating the death Thursday of an incarcerated man at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2026
Advocates for incarcerated people say the parole process is rigorous and shouldn’t be politicized.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
That raises the question, will the next governor continue Newsom’s emphasis on rehabilitation for incarcerated people or move in a different direction?
—Adam Ashton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
As of March 4, 280 people had been released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement from LMDC, while another 67 incarcerated people have holds, according to Collins.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
Darlene Edwards and Frank Sheppard remain incarcerated.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Instead, commissioners assess whether an incarcerated person currently presents an unreasonable risk to the community.
—Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2026
The family of Cherrie Mahan, the 8-year-old girl who disappeared 41 years ago Sunday, is hoping an incarcerated man could be the key to bringing their decades-long nightmare to a close.
—Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Carmen Mejia, who was declared innocent after spending more than 20 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction in a child's death in Texas, faces deportation to her native Honduras because her immigration status lapsed while she was incarcerated, her attorneys said.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
According to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, Green was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and is incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.
—Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
More than 20 fair-chance employers gathered to hire those who were once incarcerated.
—Derek James, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
The brothers, incarcerated since their 2024 arrests, face up to life in prison.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
Authorities said Epstein died by suicide while incarcerated in Manhattan in 2019.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, is currently incarcerated at the Bryan Federal Prison Camp in Texas.
—News Desk, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
Meyer suggested that people facing decades in prison may be motivated to change for the better while incarcerated in order to earn a sentence reduction, and said the state could see longer-term savings in prison costs.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 Mar. 2026
Jill Hanlin spent many years either incarcerated or on supervision after release, and consequently has spent time ineligible to cast a ballot in the state of Missouri.
—Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarcerated
Adjective
-
Foro Penal, which keeps tabs on imprisoned dissidents and regime opponents, estimates that nearly 400 detainees will not benefit, noting the law covers only a 13-year period of the 27 years of Chavismo.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Habeas petitions are, as a rule, the last option for an imprisoned person to void their convictions.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Gabrielsen and Frederick remain jailed in Moffat County, according to MCSO Sheriff Chip McIntyre.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
His father was jailed twice as a political prisoner in Cuba, once for 16 days in 1961 and for 72 days in 1966.—
Michael Butler,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Salvi also interned for the Illinois General Assembly Republican in-house counsel in 2019.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Before his project, Saenz interned with the Camp Catanese Foundation, which is a college-preparation program that provides support to underserved and first-generation students.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the posts showed a bulldozer tearing a hole in a fence between Gaza and Israel, a move that allowed Hamas fighters to attack; another showed an Israeli-army jeep filled with Palestinian fighters, the soldiers presumably dead or taken captive.—
Michael Powell,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2026
-
In the past, businesses were this huge pool of full-time employees who were kind of captive to the organization, doing bespoke workloads.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarcerated. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
