captive

1 of 2

adjective

cap·​tive ˈkap-tiv 

1

a

: taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war

b(1)

: kept within bounds : confined

(2)

: of or relating to captive animals

captive breeding

2

: held under control of another but having the appearance of independence

especially : owned or controlled by another concern and operated for its needs rather than for an open market

a captive mine

3

: being such involuntarily because of a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult

a captive audience

captive

2 of 2

noun

plural captives

1

: one who has been captured : one taken and held usually in confinement

Something there is in us that finds captivity captivating, particularly when the captives are prisoners of war.

—David Murray

He said that while one of the war-boats was being made ready to take the captives into the lagoon, he and his sister left the camp quietly and got away in their canoe.

—Joseph Conrad

2

: one captivated, dominated, or controlled

a captive to love

Unlike so many experts pronouncing on that subject today, though, he has never been a captive of a particular ideology or of a well-heeled interest group.

—Uwe E. Reinhardt

Crescent City residents love their culinary customs—too much, according to some critics, who complain that the city's chefs are captives of the past.

—Mitch Frank

Synonyms

Adjective

• apprehended
• arrested
• captured
• caught
• confined
• imprisoned
• incarcerated
• interned
• jailed

Noun

• capture
• internee
• prisoner

Examples of captive in a Sentence

Adjective

The captive soldiers planned their escape.

the captive soldiers were treated humanely by the guards

Noun

the captives in the concentration camp had devised a daring plan of escape

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

At least seven Australians are believed to have died fighting in Ukraine, according to ABC, but none was known to have died while being held captive. —Eric Cheung, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025

Gabriela Cowperthwaite Twitter aside, there’s no better way to get indignant in a short amount of time than by watching Blackfish, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary look into the world of captive killer whales. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025

Noun

This administration’s legacy is stained with the blood of countless Palestinian civilians – men, women, and children – alongside the many captives killed in Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaigns, carried out with U.S. backing. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2025

Marking an end to more than 15 months of deadly conflict, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal on Wednesday that includes the release of captives held by both parties. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin captivus, from captus, past participle of capere

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing captive

• captive audience

Kids Definition

captive

1 of 2 adjective

cap·​tive

ˈkap-tiv

1

: taken and held prisoner especially in war

2

: held or confined so as to prevent escape

a captive animal

3

: in a situation that makes free choice or leaving difficult

the airline passengers were a captive audience

captivity

kap-ˈtiv-ət-ē

noun

captive

2 of 2 noun

: one that is captive : prisoner