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
Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026
But then images of an apparently captive Maduro, blindfolded, in a sweatsuit soon circulated on social media.
—Mery Mogollon, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2026
Doha Madani, NBC news, 2 Nov. 2025
Hamas committed to returning all living and deceased captives being held in the strip as part of the ceasefire deal reached earlier this month.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Adjective
Also in its top are Givaudan’s captive Ebeli and bitter orange and lemon oil notes.
—Noun
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the bodies did not belong to any of the remaining captives.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for captive
Adjective
-
Habeas petitions are, as a rule, the last option for an imprisoned person to void their convictions.—
Noun
-
Beyond the gate are hundreds of white crosses, marking the graves of Parchman’s long-dead prisoners.—
-
Venezuela's government has denied that prisoners have been unjustly detained and had accused them of plotting to destabilize Maduro’s regime.—
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
