SLAVERY Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

slavery

noun

ˈslā-v(ə-)rē

Definition of slavery

as in enslavement

the state of being an enslaved person a child born into slavery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in labor

very hard or unpleasant work endured the slavery of working in the coal mines every day of his adult life

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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 slavery This visit comes as the debate over Britain’s colonial past, slavery, and calls for economic reparations continues to take center stage in relations between London and several Caribbean nations. — Ilaria Perrotta, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026 The work in question is German painter Carl Gottlieb Peschel’s Joseph Sold by His Brothers (1831), which shows the biblical scene of Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026 In the end, of course, the opponents of slavery were victorious. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026 Seventy-one percent of assessed companies had published modern slavery statements. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slavery

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slavery

Noun

He was born into enslavement in Edgefield District, South Carolina, bound by laws that forbade Black literacy.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Anyone arguing otherwise either believes in human enslavement, has no grasp of history, or suffers from both afflictions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of enslavement

Noun

Robots were already offered up as part of China’s domestic answer to aging, labor shortages, and future care needs.

— Ruby Wang, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
At the sewing line, a conventional cotton T-shirt requires eight person-minutes of direct labor across its sewing operations, according to Silana co-founder Michael Hofmannrichter.

— Jessica Binns, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of labor

Noun

Additionally, the workers must hand over any communications — including self-deleting texts from apps such as Signal — related to the office’s efforts to block noncitizen voting.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
The work is part of a broader effort to understand how eVTOL aircraft can share airspace and infrastructure with conventional aircraft while meeting aviation safety requirements.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of effort

Noun

It was used in the 1820 Missouri Compromise to establish the limits of human bondage in the still adolescent United States and became synonymous with the fundamental divisions that exploded into the Civil War four decades later.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
This kind of cross-pollination—bondage wear combined with eighteenth-century pastoral—will surely inspire students at the neighboring London College of Fashion.

— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of bondage

Noun

In 1987, biologists captured the last free-flying condor to transfer it to captivity, and the largest flying North American bird species was officially declared extinct in the wild.

— David Ginsburg, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
But their local expertise, connections, courage, and instincts could stave off death or captivity.

— Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of captivity

Browse Nearby Words

slavers

slavery

slaves

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Style

“Slavery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slavery. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of slavery

noun

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