1
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imprisonment
the state of being held in lawful custody
sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incarceration
Newgate—Exercise Yard became further entrenched in the visual language of authoritarianism and incarceration through Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange.
—
Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Florida is the only state with a wrongful incarceration compensation program that excludes people with prior felonies, a restriction that makes the vast majority of exonerees in the state ineligible for payments.
—Dara Kam, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Can that progress be sustained — or is America about to reverse course and embark on another juvenile incarceration binge?
—James Forman Jr. Prentice Onayemi Adrienne Hurst Krish Seenivasan Aaron Esposito Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
In many cases, being in the country without authorization is a civil offense and would typically be punishable by removal instead of incarceration.
—Armando Garcia, ABC News, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Sarah C. Schaefer, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Florida is the only state with a wrongful incarceration compensation program that excludes people with prior felonies, a restriction that makes the vast majority of exonerees in the state ineligible for payments.
—Dara Kam, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
Can that progress be sustained — or is America about to reverse course and embark on another juvenile incarceration binge?
—James Forman Jr. Prentice Onayemi Adrienne Hurst Krish Seenivasan Aaron Esposito Brian St. Pierre, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
In many cases, being in the country without authorization is a civil offense and would typically be punishable by removal instead of incarceration.
—Armando Garcia, ABC News, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarceration
Noun
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Though he was allowed to periodically shower, the captivity was otherwise severe.—
Efrat Lachter,
Fox News,
15 Mar. 2025
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There has been indisputable and overwhelming evidence that Hamas systematically steals the aid, and uses it to advance their military goals, including the ongoing captivity of hostages.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But unlike in the US, where most of the internment camps were closed by the end of 1945, Japanese Canadians were kept from returning to British Columbia until 1949.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Mar. 2025
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Even more directly, the Exclusion Zone bears a striking resemblance to the Japanese American internment camps of World War II.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This is the second time the administration has abruptly emptied the detention site, with officials on Feb. 20 removing 177 Venezuelans flown in from the United States, with the men repatriated to the custody of their home government.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
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Sometimes things are straightforward: the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate who was involved in the pro-Palestine protests on the school’s campus, is an affront to freedom of speech.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
The New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Three days later, his immigration attorney was able to reach an ICE official who confirmed that his client was in a prison in another country.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
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With inmate suicide rates at an all-time high, U.S. District Senior Judge Kimberly Mueller said her aim is to force changes in California’s prison mental health system, which a federal judge in 1995 deemed to be so poor as to constitute cruel and unusual punishment.—
Paige St. John,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence, ordering the remainder of his sentence to be served in home confinement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2025
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Despite noting the couple violated the public’s trust and that the husband lied on the witness stand, a federal judge on Wednesday gave the Wades strikingly lenient sentences: three years of probation for Carolyn, including 90 days of home confinement, and 90 days of prison time for Tracy.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarceration. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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