Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

captive

[ kap-tiv ]

noun

  1. a prisoner.
  2. a person who is enslaved or dominated:

    He is the captive of his own fears.



adjective

  1. made or held prisoner, especially in war:

    captive troops.

  2. kept in confinement or restraint:

    captive animals.

  3. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated:

    her captive beau.

  4. of or relating to a captive.
  5. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public:

    a captive shop;

    a captive mine.

captive

/ ˈæɪ /

noun

  1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war
  2. a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion

    a captive of love

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. held as prisoner
  2. held under restriction or control; confined

    captive water held behind a dam

  3. captivated; enraptured
  4. unable by circumstances to avoid speeches, advertisements, etc (esp in the phrase captive audience )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • ԴDz··پ adjective
  • ···پ adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of captive1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Middle French, from Latin īܲ, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -īܲ adjective suffix ( -ive )
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of captive1

C14: from Latin īܲ, from capere to take
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And, he said, while many of these captive microbes are dead, plenty of them are not.

From

The hostages were beaten while being held captive and later released.

From

Hamas says it has "lost contact" with the group of fighters holding an Israeli-American hostage captive in Gaza following an Israeli strike on their location.

From

Hamas has said it is ready to return all of those held captive, in exchange for a complete end to hostilities and full Israeli pull-out from Gaza.

From

After a deal goes awry, Joel and Tess meet Ellie, a teenager being held captive by a rebel militia group called the Fireflies.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


captivatingcaptive audience