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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 servitude
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
The last World Cup, Bertoli notes, was held in Qatar, an energy-rich constitutional monarchy where freedom of association and expression is heavily restricted and thousands of migrant workers are held in conditions that have been likened to slavery or servitude.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for servitude
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
The last World Cup, Bertoli notes, was held in Qatar, an energy-rich constitutional monarchy where freedom of association and expression is heavily restricted and thousands of migrant workers are held in conditions that have been likened to slavery or servitude.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for servitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servitude
slavery
Noun
-
People seeking refuge from slavery crossed into Kansas by way of Quindaro, and the town gained recognition as a safe haven along the Underground Railroad.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Survivors were resold into slavery in the Western Cape, according to the Smithsonian.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Servitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servitude. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
