noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/kæpˈtɪvɪti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AE0 P T IH1 V AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being captive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
held in captivity
escape from captivity
The animals lived in captivity at the zoo.
He wrote a memoir about his years in captivity.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A group of people/beings captive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
long captivity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the state of being a slave--Shakespeare
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
So every bondman in his own hand bears the power to cancel his captivity
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enslavement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: subjugation, subjection
5
noun
Meaning 5
the state of being imprisoned
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he was held in captivity until he died
the imprisonment of captured soldiers
his ignominious incarceration in the local jail
he practiced the immurement of his enemies in the castle dungeon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: imprisonment, incarceration, immurement
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: confinement
Narrower terms: durance, life imprisonment, internment
History
Etymology
From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. By surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.
Across languages
Translations
76 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Southern Altai:
олјо
(olǰo)
— state of being captive
Arabic:
أَسْر
(ʔasr)
— state of being captive
Arabic:
سَبْي
(saby)
— state of being captive
Armenian:
գերություն
(gerutʻyun)
— state of being captive
Belarusian:
пало́н
(palón)
— state of being captive
Belarusian:
няво́ля
(njavólja)
— state of being captive
Bulgarian:
плен
(plen)
— state of being captive
Catalan:
captivitat
— state of being captive
Catalan:
captiveri
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
囚禁
(qiújìn)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
關押 /关押
(guānyā)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
拘禁
(jūjìn)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
拘押
(jūyā)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
監禁 /监禁
(jiānjìn)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
樊籠 /樊笼
(fánlóng)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
桎梏
(zhìgù)
— state of being captive
Chinese Mandarin:
囹圄
(língyǔ)
— state of being captive
Czech:
zajetí
— state of being captive
Dutch:
gevangenschap
— state of being captive
Finnish:
vankeus
— state of being captive
French:
captivité
— state of being captive
Galician:
catividade
— state of being captive
Galician:
cativerio
— state of being captive
Georgian:
ტყვეობა
(ṭq̇veoba)
— state of being captive
Georgian:
მონობა
(monoba)
— state of being captive
German:
Gefangenschaft
— state of being captive
Greek:
αιχμαλωσία
(aichmalosía)
— state of being captive
Ancient Greek:
αἰχμαλωσία
(aikhmalōsía)
— state of being captive
Hebrew:
שֶׁבִי
(shévi)
— state of being captive
Hebrew:
שִׁבְיָה
(shivyá)
— state of being captive
Hungarian:
fogság
— state of being captive
Irish:
broid
— state of being captive
Italian:
cattività
— state of being captive
Japanese:
監禁
(kankin)
— state of being captive
Korean:
감금
(gamgeum)
— state of being captive
Central Kurdish:
دیلی
(dîlî)
— state of being captive
Latgalian:
navaļa
— state of being captive
Latgalian:
vaņgeiba
— state of being captive
Latin:
captīvitās
— state of being captive
Latvian:
gūsts
— state of being captive
Macedonian:
заробеништво
(zarobeništvo)
— state of being captive
Macedonian:
пленство
(plenstvo)
— state of being captive
Māori:
whakarau
— state of being captive
Persian:
اسارت
(esârat)
— state of being captive
Polish:
niewola
— state of being captive
Portuguese:
catividade
— state of being captive
Romanian:
captivitate
— state of being captive
Russian:
плен
(plen)
— state of being captive
Russian:
нево́ля
(nevólja)
— state of being captive
Russian:
поло́н
(polón)
— state of being captive
Serbo-Croatian:
заробљени́штво
— state of being captive
Serbo-Croatian:
zarobljeníštvo
— state of being captive
Shor:
олча
(olča)
— state of being captive
Slovak:
zajatie
— state of being captive
Slovene:
ujetništvo
— state of being captive
Spanish:
cautividad
— state of being captive
Spanish:
cautiverio
— state of being captive
Spanish:
captiverio
— state of being captive
Spanish:
captividad
— state of being captive
Swedish:
fångenskap
— state of being captive
Turkish:
esaret
— state of being captive
Ottoman Turkish:
اسیرلك
(esirlik)
— state of being captive
Ukrainian:
поло́н
(polón)
— state of being captive
Ukrainian:
нево́ля
(nevólja)
— state of being captive
Vietnamese:
tù binh
— state of being captive
Welsh:
caethiwed
— state of being captive
Czech:
zajetí
— period of being captive
Finnish:
vankeus
— period of being captive
Finnish:
vankeusaika
— period of being captive
German:
Gefangenschaft
— period of being captive
Portuguese:
cativeiro
— period of being captive
Russian:
нево́ля
(nevólja)
— period of being captive
Russian:
плен
(plen)
— period of being captive
Serbo-Croatian:
заробљени́штво
— period of being captive
Serbo-Croatian:
zarobljeníštvo
— period of being captive
