as in slavery
the state of being an enslaved person
the Fugitive Slave Act had the effect of returning enslaved people who had made it to freedom in the North to a brutal life of servitude in the South
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of servitude
One viral fake news story, based on no evidence at all, said that Will Smith had sold one of his children into Combs’s servitude.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025
Instead, students play various games, gambling huge sums of money (provided by their parents) to rise in St. Dominic’s social hierarchy and reign over the house pets, students who have fallen into massive debt who are subjected to servitude.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 May 2025
At the academy, students bet huge sums of money and even their freedom for a chance to rise up the strict social hierarchy, where the richest rule as gods, while those with the highest debts are relegated to servitude.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2025
Success, as seen by Mr. Dior, implies sticking to one’s ideals for big problems such as location of the new house, and attention to small details, as well as the capacity for personality-splitting to cope with the responsibilities and servitudes of fame.
—Wwd Staff, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for servitude
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025
Instead, students play various games, gambling huge sums of money (provided by their parents) to rise in St. Dominic’s social hierarchy and reign over the house pets, students who have fallen into massive debt who are subjected to servitude.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 May 2025
At the academy, students bet huge sums of money and even their freedom for a chance to rise up the strict social hierarchy, where the richest rule as gods, while those with the highest debts are relegated to servitude.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2025
Success, as seen by Mr. Dior, implies sticking to one’s ideals for big problems such as location of the new house, and attention to small details, as well as the capacity for personality-splitting to cope with the responsibilities and servitudes of fame.
—Wwd Staff, WWD, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for servitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servitude
slavery
Noun
-
The tragedy of slavery is also explored here, including an award-winning exhibit called Slavery and Cotton in the Shoals with work by textile artist Valerie S. Goodwin.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
-
Douglass’s decision to speak on July 5, deliberately after Independence Day celebrations, symbolically underscored his argument: America’s celebration of freedom was bitterly ironic and deeply hypocritical in the context of slavery and racial oppression.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Servitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servitude. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share