SERVITUDE Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

servitude

noun

ˈsər-və-ˌtüd

as in slavery

the state of being an enslaved person the Fugitive Slave Act had the effect of returning enslaved people who had made it to freedom in the North to a brutal life of servitude in the South

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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 servitude On the one hand, Lady Penwood has tormented Sophie since her father’s death, denying her parentage, forcing her into servitude, and working her to the bone. —

Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026 Colorado Department of Corrections officials forced inmates to work prison jobs through coercion that ultimately amounted to involuntary servitude, a Denver judge ruled Friday. —

Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026 Voters overwhelmingly abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in prisons in 2018. —

Austen Erblat, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026 Her name is Sophie Beckett, the daughter of an earl who was forced into servitude by her cruel stepmother after her father’s death. —

Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for servitude

Recent Examples of Synonyms for servitude

slavery

Noun

The French National Convention accepted this and abolished slavery throughout the empire.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
In addition to the historic house and visitor center, the cottage hosts Students Opposing Slavery, a youth education program for students ages 14 to 24 that teaches both Lincoln’s legacy and contemporary issues of slavery.

— Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 3 May 2026