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
Rather than destabilizing people’s lives by unnecessary incarceration, the state contributed to greater stability for them, their families and communities.
—
Christine Scott-Hayward, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
In the 1990s, mass incarceration brought a short-term drop in homicides.
—Debra Gittler, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
When the seven-part series starts, Tom is reeling from the recent death of his wife, Susan (Mireille Enos) and the ongoing incarceration of his son, Ethan (Andrew Russel).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Transporting immigrants just released from incarceration helped solve a problem for ICE.
—Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Christine Scott-Hayward, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
In the 1990s, mass incarceration brought a short-term drop in homicides.
—Debra Gittler, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
When the seven-part series starts, Tom is reeling from the recent death of his wife, Susan (Mireille Enos) and the ongoing incarceration of his son, Ethan (Andrew Russel).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Transporting immigrants just released from incarceration helped solve a problem for ICE.
—Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarceration
Noun
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At his request, his appearance was not announced in advance so the focus could remain on Omer Shem Tov’s spiritual journey during captivity.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Cervantes’ captivity brought him in contact with Muslim culture.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Vogel also advocated for the passage of legislation that eventually acknowledged the injustice of the exile and imprisonment and provided a payment of $20,000 to Japanese American camp survivors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Sep. 2025
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But even the women who, before, had spouses and children and worked as shop assistants and typists and factory workers cannot quite name the circumstances of their imprisonment.—
Carmen Maria Machado,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Ameya sits down with her neighbor's 84-year-old grandmother, who was forced out of California and sent to an internment camp in Wyoming as a young girl.—
Steve Drummond,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
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The worst part of the internment was its indeterminacy.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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More Than a Chaplain Within a few hours of Soliman’s detention, dozens showed up for an impromptu rally and news conference in the ICE center parking lot.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Critically, American surveillance technologies allowed a brutal mass detention campaign in the far west region of Xinjiang — targeting, tracking and grading virtually the entire native Uyghur population to forcibly assimilate and subdue them.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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My dad would always play documentaries about prison life and stuff that would come on Discovery ID or, every now and then, even national news segments.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
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Through the deal, prosecutors dropped the two murder charges — and shipped Henry, 26, off to prison for 10 years — in exchange for his plea.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a population already at higher risk of illness due to stress and confinement, these oversights can quickly escalate into medical emergencies.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Discontent with confinement and mistreatment, some attempt to escape and even attack their peers.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarceration. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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