Synonyms

enslaved

American

[en-sleyvd] / ɛnˈsleɪvd /

adjective

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.

Other Word Forms

unenslaved adjective

Etymology

Origin of enslaved

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because if we think about domicile as “presence with intent to remain,” well, enslaved people didn’t intend to remain anywhere!

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Most of the reparations paid by governments came in the form of compensation to slave owners in the 19th Century, rather than to those who had been enslaved.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Mezzo Ronnita Miller made the enslaved Tituba, the only character with actual conjuring experience, a properly alien presence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 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

Late in his life, Washington had pledged not to sell any more enslaved people from Mount Vernon.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023