captive

CEFRC1

/ˈkæptɪv/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person or animal held prisoner.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    One charmed or subdued by beauty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.

Examples

  • Greece, conquered, took captive her savage conqueror.

  • The captive escaped in the dark of the night.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. One held prisoner.

  2. One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.

  3. A captive insurance company, a subsidiary of a company used as its internal insurer.

More examples

In context

  • He fell captive to her charms.

  • captive chains; captive hours

  • I envy not in any moods ⁠The captive void of noble rage, ⁠The linnet born within the cage, That never knew the summer woods: […]

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The rescue team worked tirelessly to free the blank held in the basement.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.