captive

American  

[kap-tiv] / ˈkæp tɪv /

noun

1. a prisoner.

2. a person who is enslaved or dominated.

   He is the captive of his own fears.

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adjective

1. made or held prisoner, especially in war.

   captive troops.

2. kept in confinement or restraint.

   captive animals.

3. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated.

   her captive beau.

4. of or relating to a captive.

5. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public.

   a captive shop;

   a captive mine.

captive British  

/ ˈkæptɪv /

noun

1. a person or animal that is confined or restrained, esp a prisoner of war

2. a person whose behaviour is dominated by some emotion

   a captive of love

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adjective

1. held as prisoner

2. held under restriction or control; confined

   captive water held behind a dam

3. captivated; enraptured

4. unable by circumstances to avoid speeches, advertisements, etc (esp in the phrase captive audience )

Other Word Forms

• noncaptive adjective
• pseudocaptive adjective

Etymology

Origin of captive

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English or directly from Middle French, from Latin captīvus, equivalent to capt(us) “taken” (past participle of capere “to take”) + -īvus adjective suffix ( -ive )

Example Sentences

It was May 1999, and US Army sergeant Andrew Ramirez had been held captive for over a month by Yugoslav forces, enduring days of dark confinement and interrogations.

From BBC

Fischbach is hardly a newcomer to the industry – he's built a platform over 14 years and has a captive audience in his legions of fans.

From BBC

The streaming wars peaked during the pandemic, with Americans a captive audience for two years.

From The Wall Street Journal

So-called captive agents sell policies from just one carrier.

From MarketWatch

This gap existed even though there have been many anecdotal observations from both the wild and captive settings.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• detainee
• hostage
• prisoner
• prisoner of war
• slave