enslaved

American  

[en-sleyvd] / ɛnˈsleɪvd /

adjective

1. made a slave; held in slavery or bondage.

   Enslaved people were seen not as people at all but as commodities to be bought, sold, and exploited.

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Other Word Forms

• unenslaved adjective

Etymology

Origin of enslaved

First recorded in 1660–70; enslave ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

But so far, no country has ever paid reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans or affected African, Caribbean and Latin American nations.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was something Thoreau not just railed against but acted against, smuggling several enslaved people to Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

And the U.S. began that relationship with the free Cuban people, many of whom had been enslaved by Spain, not by inviting them to the negotiation table in France but by dictating terms.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

And then if you only want to restrict it to federal immigration law, the Congress passed a law in 1808 banning the international slave trade and still ships are smuggling enslaved people in.

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2026

The reality of keeping Black men, women, and children enslaved was unjust, a violation of human rights, and contrary to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” the founding ideals of the United States.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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• apt
• conditional
• dependent
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