captivity
gb/kæptˈɪvəti/ us/kæptˈɪvəti/
B2
English
~ 6700
fogság, rabság
NOUN
B2
1
fogság
B1
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is in captivity
The hostages spent six months in captivity before they were rescued.
A túszok hat hónapot töltöttek fogságban, mielőtt kiszabadították őket.
Many zoo animals are born in captivity and have never lived in the wild.
Sok állatkerti állat fogságban születik, és soha nem élt vadon.
After ten years of captivity, the rare birds were finally released into their natural habitat.
The rebels claimed responsibility for holding the journalist in captivity.
The documentary compares the behavior of dolphins in captivity with those living in the open sea.
Learner examples
The soldiers were in captivity for a long time.
A katonák hosszú ideig fogságban voltak.
These tigers live in captivity, not in the wild.
Ezek a tigrisek fogságban élnek, nem vadon.
The police freed the child from captivity.
The animals looked sad in captivity.
He wrote a book about his life in captivity.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"in a captivity"* or *"in the captivity"*; usually the correct phrase is just *"in captivity" without an article. They may also confuse *"captivity"* (noun) with *"captive"* (adjective or noun), as in *"a captive animal"* or *"take someone captive".*
Meaning
state of being kept prisoner
Collocations
in captivity
|held in captivity
|escape from captivity
|born in captivity
|bred in captivity
|release from captivity
Synonyms
imprisonment (Used more for legal situations with human prisoners; less commonly used for animals.)
|
confinement (General word for being kept in a limited space; can be physical or medical, not always forced like captivity.)
Antonyms
freedom (Emphasizes the complete absence of physical control or limits on movement.)
Themes
crime
|law
|animals
Definition
The state of not being free because someone keeps you in a place and will not let you go.
The state of being kept somewhere and not allowed to leave, especially as a prisoner or as an animal kept by humans.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
2
rabság
B2
Usage pattern:
the captivity of [emotion/force]
The book describes humanity’s captivity to fear and ignorance.
A könyv azt mutatja be, hogyan él az emberiség a félelem és a tudatlanság rabságában.
She felt in a kind of emotional captivity, unable to make her own choices.
Úgy érezte, valamiféle érzelmi rabságban él, és nem tudja meghozni a saját döntéseit.
The movement called for an end to people’s spiritual captivity to materialism.
He spoke about the captivity of the mind under strict censorship.
The film shows workers slowly escaping the captivity of poverty and debt.
Learner examples
He lived in captivity to fear for many years.
Sok éven át a félelem rabságában élt.
The leader helped people break their captivity to drugs.
A vezető segített az embereknek kitörni a drogok rabságából.
She wants to end her captivity to old, bad habits.
The story is about mental captivity and how to find freedom.
The speaker talked about our captivity to social media.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use this figurative sense in very casual speech, where it can sound too strong or literary. In everyday conversation, words like *"control"*, *"addiction"*, or *"dependence"* are usually more natural than *"captivity"* in the figurative sense.
Meaning
state of being totally controlled
Collocations
captivity of fear
|captivity of sin
|spiritual captivity
|mental captivity
Synonyms
bondage (Often used in religious or strongly figurative language for moral or emotional unfreedom.)
|
enslavement (Stronger and more emotional; suggests near-total loss of freedom, sometimes literal, sometimes figurative.)
Antonyms
liberation (Focuses on the act or process of being set free from control or oppression.)
Themes
emotions
|society
|politics
Definition
A situation where a strong feeling, idea, or power controls a person or group so much that they are not really free, like prisoners.
A state in which a person or group is completely controlled or dominated by a powerful influence, emotion, or system, as if they were prisoners.
Grammar
Dictionary form
captivity
IPA
GB/kæptˈɪvəti/
US/kæptˈɪvəti/
Syllables & stress
cap - tiv - ity (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tiv)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: captivity
- Plural: captivity
Word family
Expressions
escape from captivity
1/ɪskˈeɪp fɹˈʌm kæptˈɪvəti/
fixed phrase
get free after being captive
To manage to get away and become free after being kept as a prisoner or in a cage.
Examples
- The prisoners planned to escape from captivity during the night.
- Three rare wolves escaped from captivity after a storm damaged their enclosure.
- He finally escaped from captivity after five long years.
held in captivity
1/hˈɛld ˈɪn kæptˈɪvəti/
fixed phrase
kept as prisoner by others
Used to say that someone keeps a person or animal as a prisoner and does not let them go.
Examples
- The aid workers were held in captivity for over a year.
- Several hostages are still being held in captivity by the group.
- The documentary shows animals held in captivity in poor conditions.
in captivity
1/ˈɪn kæptˈɪvəti/
fixed phrase
while being kept as prisoner
Used to say that a person or animal is kept in a place and not free to leave.
Examples
- The pandas have lived in captivity since they were rescued as cubs.
- Only a few of these birds still survive in captivity.
- He described the harsh conditions the soldiers faced in captivity.
release from captivity
1/ɹilˈis fɹˈʌm kæptˈɪvəti/
fixed phrase
let a captive go free
To allow a person or animal to go free after they have been kept as a prisoner or in a cage.
Examples
- The government negotiated the release from captivity of the foreign hostages.
- Several animals were prepared for release from captivity into the wild.
- After her release from captivity, she struggled to return to normal life.