as in interned
required by a contract to work for a certain period of time
immigrants who came to the U.S. as indentured servants 200 years ago
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Recent Examples of indentured
Among her ancestors: John Howland, who arrived as an indentured servant; Elizabeth Tilley, who was a passenger along with her parents and married Howland three years after arriving; and Richard Warren, who helped explore Cape Cod to find areas to settle.
—
Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2024
The young man probably arrived from England in the 1630s as a cabin boy or an indentured servant.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Both the levelers among the founders and their critics agreed on where the wealth necessary for the new nation would come from: the expropriation of Native Americans, as well as from slave and indentured labor.
—Danielle Allen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
But most indentured people really weren’t given a choice.
—Logan Jaffe, ProPublica, 19 June 2020
Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Nov. 2024
The young man probably arrived from England in the 1630s as a cabin boy or an indentured servant.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Both the levelers among the founders and their critics agreed on where the wealth necessary for the new nation would come from: the expropriation of Native Americans, as well as from slave and indentured labor.
—Danielle Allen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
But most indentured people really weren’t given a choice.
—Logan Jaffe, ProPublica, 19 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indentured
Adjective
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Black women’s bodies were seen as a source of profit, and their reproductive capabilities were valued for the production of new enslaved people.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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The first piece visitors saw was a striking work by the artist Anina Major, which reinterpreted the weaving techniques passed down by generations of enslaved people of West African origin in the Bahamas into glazed stoneware.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The bound kittens were also tied together in one bunch.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
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One star can become bound to the third object, for example, while the other star can get a kick in its kinetic energy, flinging it away.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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There are still 58 hostages held captive by Hamas, 20 of whom are presumed to be alive.—
Kerem Inal,
ABC News,
26 May 2025
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The Associated Press reported that the victim was held captive for not giving up his Bitcoin password.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
25 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indentured.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indentured. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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