Word
captivity
Phoneticscap·tiv·i·ty
US/kæpˈtɪvəti/
UK/kæptˈɪvɪti/
Definitions
01confinement
n. the state of being kept in a place like a zoo or a prison without the freedom to leave.
n. the state of being imprisoned, enslaved, or confined. Uncountable in its general sense, though it can be countable when referring to specific instances of being held.
“The tiger was born in captivity and has never lived in the wild.”
“Conservationists argue that while some species thrive in captivity, others suffer significant psychological distress when removed from their natural habitats.”
Synonyms
02a group of captives
n. a group of people who have been captured or taken as prisoners.
n. a collective noun referring to a body of captives or prisoners. This usage is largely restricted to historical or biblical contexts.
“The king led the captivity through the gates of the city.”
“The ancient chronicles describe how the conqueror drove the entire captivity across the desert to his own capital.”
Archaic · Literary
Real-World Examples
“At one point during the recovery effort, researchers were caring for more Poweshiek skipperlings in captivity than existed in the wild anywhere on Earth.” “Its stork project began in 2021 and it now has five pairs of adults that were either rescued or bred in captivity.” “Sartore has taken pictures of various extinct-in-the-wild species, including the Guam kingfisher and the Monterrey platyfish , which survive only through efforts to care for them in captivity.” “Researchers cannot yet determine whether the animals were tame, kept in captivity, or managed in some other way.” Etymology
From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. By surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.