as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in prisoner
one that has been taken and held in confinement
the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 captive
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
The city became the headquarters of a campaign of death and abuse, which included public executions, videotaped decapitations of foreign hostages, and slave auctions of captive Yazidi girls and women.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Filip Timotija, The Hill, 25 Jan. 2025
More than 90 captives are still in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
—Abdel Kareem Hana and Tia Goldenberg, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for captive 
Adjective
Who is Gadi Moses? Moses, a farming expert, was taken captive from his home in Nir Oz.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
The city became the headquarters of a campaign of death and abuse, which included public executions, videotaped decapitations of foreign hostages, and slave auctions of captive Yazidi girls and women.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
More than 100 captives were also freed during a weeklong truce in 2023.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 25 Jan. 2025
More than 90 captives are still in Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead.
—Abdel Kareem Hana and Tia Goldenberg, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for captive
Thesaurus Entries Near captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share