captives
captives — adjective
- captivespositive
- more captivescomparative
- most captivessuperlative
1. describing someone or something kept within a closed space and not allowed to le
describing someone or something kept within a closed space and not allowed to leave, whether as punishment, for safety, or for purposes such as study or display.
The zookeepers moved the sick lion to a smaller captive area for close observation.
collocation: captive area / captive breeding
During the war, armed guards kept Noor's family captive in their own home.
pattern: kept + captive + location
Adaeze kept a diary as a captive factory worker, recording every detail she could recall.
The captive birds in the pet shop looked sad, with little space to spread their wings.
- imprisoned
stronger, usually refers to humans in a prison; less common for animals
- caged
specifically suggests confinement inside a cage; more concrete but narrower
用法筆記
Frequently appears before a noun to describe the situation of the person or animal (e.g. captive audience, captive animal). Also used after verbs like 'hold' or 'keep' in the phrase 'hold/keep someone captive'.
常見錯誤
2. describing a soldier or other person who has been taken and is being held by an
describing a soldier or other person who has been taken and is being held by an opposing military force during an armed conflict.
The Red Cross visited the captive soldiers to check their living conditions.
domain: war — captive soldiers
After three months as a captive officer, Gabriel escaped and returned to his own army.
pattern: as a + captive + [rank/role]
The captive prisoners were marched to a border camp to join hundreds of others.
Kenji's uncle was a captive pilot who spent two years in detention before the exchange.
用法筆記
Commonly used in news and historical writing about armed conflicts. The noun phrase 'prisoner of war' (POW) is more formal and precise; 'captive' as an adjective in this sense is more general.
captives — noun
- captivessingular
- captivesesplural
1. a person or an animal confined against their will inside a space or taken by for
a person or an animal confined against their will inside a space or taken by force — for example, someone captured during armed conflict, a kidnapping victim, or a wild animal living in a zoo.
The kidnappers demanded a huge ransom before they would release their captives.
typical context: kidnapping
In the wildlife sanctuary, the captives included three orphaned bears and two injured eagles.
collocation: captives — animal context
Villagers brought food and water to the captives held by rebels in the forest camp.
Lakan read a report about the cruel treatment of captives in the illegal fishing operation.
用法筆記
Often appears in the plural form (captives) when referring to a group. For a single person who is imprisoned, 'prisoner' is more common in everyday use; 'captive' adds a nuance of being taken by force.
常見錯誤
2. a person who is very strongly influenced or controlled by a particular emotion,
a person who is very strongly influenced or controlled by a particular emotion, interest, idea, or situation, as if unable to escape from it.
Faisal was a captive of his own guilt, apologizing for mistakes he could not undo.
pattern: captive of + [emotion]
Henrik became a captive of the old city's beauty and stayed for a year.
pattern: captive to + [thing]
Mateo felt like a captive of his own routine, doing the same dull work daily.
Luca was a captive to his phone, checking for messages even during dinner with friends.
- slave (to)
stronger and more negative; suggests complete loss of freedom
- prisoner (of)
similar figurative meaning, slightly less literary
- master (of)
someone who controls rather than being controlled
文法句型
captive of [emotion/idea]
captive to [situation/force]
用法筆記
This sense is figurative and always followed by 'of' or 'to'. The noun phrase usually includes a strong emotion (guilt, fear, love) or an irresistible force (beauty, ambition, addiction). It is more common in literary or formal writing than in everyday conversation.