Meaning & use
Captive
Last updated
A person or animal that has been taken prisoner or is held in confinement, especially against their will.
See it in a sentence
The soldiers were held as captives for nearly a year before being released.
The film tells the story of a whale kept captive in a small marine park.
A note on using this word
Also used as an adjective, as in 'captive audience', to describe a group unable to leave or avoid something, whether literally or figuratively confined.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Kept in confinement or restricted from leaving; unable to escape a situation.
The lecture hall was full of a captive audience with nowhere else to go.
Make it your own
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