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
Outraged Korean officials opened an investigation into potential human rights abuses during the workers’ incarceration.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
In real life, there's no evidence that the FBI visited Gein during his incarceration.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Nearby, the Legacy Museum takes visitors through the journey from enslavement to mass incarceration.
—Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, a propulsive book about incarceration in America, the for-profit prison industry, and our appetite for reality TV, also feels like both.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
In real life, there's no evidence that the FBI visited Gein during his incarceration.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Nearby, the Legacy Museum takes visitors through the journey from enslavement to mass incarceration.
—Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, a propulsive book about incarceration in America, the for-profit prison industry, and our appetite for reality TV, also feels like both.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarceration
Noun
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Throughout her brother’s captivity, McGraw’s Gwen relies on her prophetic dreams to help the North Denver police pinpoint her brother’s whereabouts, as well as all the other undiscovered bodies of The Grabber’s victims.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
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In April 2025, while Angrest was still in Gaza, former hostage Ron Krivoi — who was released from captivity in November 2023 — spoke to Israel's Channel 12 and said that Angrest was being severely abused by Hamas, according to The Times of Israel.—
Rachel Wolf , Yonat Friling,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Court documents also show that one of the conditions for his release was surrendering to immigration for deportation after his imprisonment.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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Santos reported to a New Jersey prison in July for his 87-month imprisonment after being accused of embezzling contributions from supporters, illegally obtaining unemployment benefits, and lying on House financial disclosures.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Beginning with the Haitian internment in 1991, Washington seized on Guantánamo’s ambiguous sovereignty to illegally and indefinitely detain asylum-seekers.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
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In recent weeks, the National Park Service has removed signs referencing climate change, slavery, the internment of Japanese Americans, and the massacre of Native Americans from multiple parks and historic sites around the country.—
Outside,
Outside,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The utility also has detention basins at its Peak Flow Attenuation Facility, located off Scott Hamilton Drive, that are meant to allow the system to handle significant rain events.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
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Police said he'd be booked into juvenile detention on the criminal homicide charge.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Regarding the lack of disciplinary records documenting policy violations, Payne placed blame on prison staff for failure to write Holt up for disciplinary violations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Oct. 2025
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In August 2024, Lorincz was convicted on the manslaughter charge, and in November, a judge sentenced her to 25 years in prison.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These conditions of confinement might mirror what we're used to in prisons and jails and can sometimes be worse.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
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Inaccurate data can lead to instability, allowing the plasma to escape its magnetic confinement and potentially cause damage to the machine.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarceration. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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