Meaning & use
confinement
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Meanings
noununcountable
The condition of being held inside a small or closed space, such as a cell or room, without freedom to leave.
Grammar: Usually uncountable and often followed by in: confinement in a cell.
Patterns
- confinement in something
- confinement to something
- be held in confinement
The prisoner spent most of his sentence in solitary confinement.
After the accident she was under strict confinement to her bed for two weeks.
Many zoo animals show stress when kept in long confinement.
noununcountableold-fashioned
The period during which a woman gives birth and recovers from it, a meaning now mostly found in older writing.
Grammar: Singular and uncountable; usually seen in historical or literary contexts.
Patterns
- her confinement
In the novel, the heroine writes to her sister shortly before her confinement.
Victorian women of means often withdrew from society during their confinement.
Word forms
| plural | confinements |
|---|
Common combinations
- solitary confinement
- He was placed in solitary confinement for breaking prison rules.
- in close confinement
- The sailors lived in close confinement below deck for months.
- release from confinement
- Her release from confinement came after a successful appeal.
- prolonged confinement
- Prolonged confinement can damage a person's mental health.
- confinement to quarters
- The soldier received a week's confinement to quarters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- imprisonment
- Imprisonment refers specifically to being jailed as punishment, whereas confinement can also describe medical isolation or any restricted space.
- captivity
- Captivity suggests being held against your will by a captor, and is often used for animals or hostages, while confinement is more neutral about who holds you.
- detention
- Detention is an official act of holding someone, often briefly, while confinement stresses the restriction of space itself.
- restriction
- Restriction is a much weaker word that can mean any limit, not necessarily being shut in a place.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: confinement or confidence?
confinement vs confidence
Confidence means trust or self-belief and is unrelated to being held in a space; the two words only look somewhat alike.
Practice
Which sentence uses confinement correctly?
Choose one answer.
Confinement means being held in a restricted place, which fits inmates kept apart after a riot. The other options misuse it for noise, speaking, or construction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “confinement”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.