Captive

Pronunciation: /ˈkæptɪv/

Captive (noun)

  1. a person who is kept as a prisoner and cannot leave.

Examples

  • The captive was finally released after negotiations.
  • The captives were kept in a secure location.

Common collocations: hold a captive, release a captive, captive animal, captive audience, captive market

Captive (adjective)

  1. unable to leave or escape from a place.
  2. controlled by someone else and not having freedom.

Examples

  • The captive bird longed to fly free.
  • The captive audience listened intently.

Synonyms of Captive

Formal

Neutral

Informal

Antonyms of Captive

  • describing someone not held captive
  • describing someone released from captivity