Captive
//ˈkæptɪv// adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.
"I envy not in any moods The captive void of noble rage, The linnet born within the cage, That never knew the summer woods: […]"
- 2 an animal that is confined wordnet
- 3 One held prisoner.
- 4 a person held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion wordnet
- 5 One charmed or subdued by beauty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated. figuratively
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- 6 a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war wordnet
- 7 A captive insurance company, a subsidiary of a company used as its internal insurer.
Verb
- 1 To capture; to take captive. archaic, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Held prisoner; not free; confined. not-comparable
"A poor, miserable, captive thrall."
- 2 Subdued by love; charmed; captivated. not-comparable
"Even in so short a space, my woman's heart / Grossly grew captive to his honey words."
- 3 Of or relating to bondage or confinement; serving to confine. not-comparable
"captive chains; captive hours"
Adjective
- 1 giving or marked by complete attention to wordnet
- 2 being in captivity wordnet
Example
More examples"Greece, conquered, took captive her savage conqueror."
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English captif; derived from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“seize, hold”). Doublet of caitiff.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.