bondage

[ bon-dij ]

noun

1. slavery or involuntary servitude; serfdom.

   Synonyms: prison, restraint, captivity

2. the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control.

   Synonyms: imprisonment, confinement, captivity, thralldom

3. the state or practice of being physically restrained, as by being tied up, chained, or put in handcuffs, for sexual gratification.
4. Early English Law. personal subjection to the control of a superior; villeinage.

bondage

/ ˈbɒndɪdʒ /

noun

1. slavery or serfdom; servitude
2. Also calledvilleinage (in medieval Europe) the condition and status of unfree peasants who provided labour and other services for their lord in return for holdings of land
3. a sexual practice in which one partner is physically bound

Word History and Origins

Origin of bondage¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-Latin bondagium. See bond ², -age

Synonym Study

See slavery.

Example Sentences

He described himself as having been “a grinning, brooding young criminal psychopath in defiantly willing bondage to his psychopathy.”

From Los Angeles Times

"People are often exploited, they’re held for large sums of money and often are put into things like debt bondage to try and work off these debts."

From BBC

Her work was rooted in and inspired by bondage, but she decidedly did not position itself as a bondage brand.

From Los Angeles Times

Chris Farrimond, NCA Director of Threat Leadership, warned migrants who enter the UK "under these clandestine means" are "under increased risk of being forced into exploitation and debt bondage" by groups of people smugglers.

From BBC

There was to be a bondage fashion show, a sex toy exhibition, and some adult games, that involved bursting balloons between people's bodies.

From BBC

Related Words

• enslavement
• serfdom
• servitude
• subjugation
• yoke