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captivity

[ kap-tiv-i-tee ]

/ kæpˈtɪv ɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR captivity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural cap·tiv·i·ties.

the state or period of being held, imprisoned, enslaved, or confined.

(initial capital letter) Babylonian captivity.

Origin of captivity

1275–1325; Middle English captivite (< Old French) < Latin captīvitās. See captive, -ity

SYNONYMS FOR captivity

1 bondage, servitude, slavery, thralldom, subjection; imprisonment, confinement, incarceration.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR captivity ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR captivity

1 freedom.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR captivity ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM captivity

pre·cap·tiv·i·ty, noun sem·i·cap·tiv·i·ty, noun

Words nearby captivity

captious, captivate, captive, captive audience, captive market, captivity, captopril, captor, capture, capture beat, captured rotation

Example sentences from the Web for captivity

Shin eventually escaped North Korean captivity while in Vienna.

Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea |Rich Goldstein |December 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“There was one good thing about it,” Chuck Davis says about his time in captivity.

‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis |Nina Strochlic |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the general circumstances of her capture and captivity have been known and widely reported for more than a year now.

A 26-Year-Old Woman Is ISIS’s Last American Hostage |Shane Harris |November 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The center had seemingly proven wrong people who contend that rescued eaglets can only survive in captivity.

He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles |Michael Daly |November 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

She would spend her days under her husband's captivity wondering how to escape with her daughter.

The Worst Question for Abuse Victims |Emily Shire |October 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In captivity, having no web, it actually flees before its prey, and has not the resolution to confront a fly.

The Insect |Jules Michelet
Not the thousands of prisoners which you will see sent into captivity across the Rhine!

The Maids of Paradise |Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
The survivors may have one night to bury the dead; then they will be carried into captivity.

The Forerunners |Romain Rolland
I saw many tracks on this expedition and on others afterwards but I have never seen a bear yet, except in captivity.

A Canyon Voyage |Frederick S. Dellenbaugh
To while away the hours of their captivity, they carved their names upon the walls with rusty nails.

The Story of Manhattan |Charles Hemstreet

British Dictionary definitions for captivity

captivity

/ (kæpˈtɪvɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the condition of being captive; imprisonment

the period of imprisonment