as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner
the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards
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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
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Recent Examples of captive
Ron Lieber, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
These are just some of the disturbing details that have emerged out of Waterbury, Connecticut, where a woman allegedly held her stepson captive for over two decades.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Most of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, but Israeli forces rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Adjective
In this environment, independent agents — who work with a variety of carriers and are well versed in alternatives — will be more useful than captive agents, who work with a single provider (like Allstate or State Farm).
—Ron Lieber, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
These are just some of the disturbing details that have emerged out of Waterbury, Connecticut, where a woman allegedly held her stepson captive for over two decades.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
As mentioned the captive was formed in 2015 and did business that year and in 2016.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Most of the captives have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, but Israeli forces rescued eight alive and recovered dozens of bodies.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captive
Cite this Entry
“Captive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captive. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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