carceral

adjective

car·​cer·​al ˈkär-sə-rəl 

: of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

Did you know?

Carceral is a member of a small but imposing family: like its close relations incarcerate (meaning "to imprison") and incarceration (meaning "confinement in a jail or prison"), its ultimate source is the Latin word for "prison," carcer. All three words have been in use since the 16th century, and all three are more common today than they were a century ago. Carceral has always been the rarest of the group, but its use has increased significantly since the turn of the current century, most often within academic or legal contexts.

Examples of carceral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Although many in the education field support cellphone restrictions, some argue that blanket bans are too carceral and obscure deeper problems, including addictive social media platforms and ineffective teaching practices. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025

Lowcountry is a dark, twisted romcom about the psychic distress of looking for love in the digital age and the carceral state. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025

Now, the Trump administration has taken this carceral logic even further by detaining people at the base who previously lived within the United States. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Films examining lives in and around the carceral system, like Sing Sing and the doc Daughters, are current awards hopefuls. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Latin carcer prison

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

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