as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of captive
NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Reason to hope As a result of their rarity from the 1950s to 1980s, scientists – including myself – believed that any flamingos sighted intermittently around Florida were not wild birds but rather escapees from captive populations.
—Jerome Lorenz, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Israel on Tuesday received the coffins of two hostages returned from Gaza through the Red Cross, as officials said the remains will be identified before being released to their families as the military vowed to keep working to bring home all remaining captives.
—Greg Wehner , Yael Halon, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Adjective
Israel said Illouz died of his wounds while being held captive without proper medical treatment, while Joshi was murdered in captivity in the first months of the war - adding that the National Center of Forensic Medicine would later provide the final cause of death.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Reason to hope As a result of their rarity from the 1950s to 1980s, scientists – including myself – believed that any flamingos sighted intermittently around Florida were not wild birds but rather escapees from captive populations.
—Jerome Lorenz, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
Two other captives were women who had allegedly been romantically involved with Birchfield, the outlet reported.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Israel on Tuesday received the coffins of two hostages returned from Gaza through the Red Cross, as officials said the remains will be identified before being released to their families as the military vowed to keep working to bring home all remaining captives.
—Greg Wehner , Yael Halon, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captive
Adjective
-
Trump’s decision to commute Santos’ sentence came after multiple friends and allies of the imprisoned ex-politician made appeals for his clemency, a senior White House official told NBC News on Friday evening.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Netanyahu was able to get the first phase of the deal through, including the return of the hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In the deal's first phase, Hamas released the last 20 living Israel hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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