captivity

/kæpˈtɪvəti/ (bre, ipa) · /kæpˈtɪvəti/ (ame, ipa) · /kap-ˈti-və-tē/ (ame, mw)

captivity — noun

1. the condition of being held inside somewhere — for example, a cage, a prison, or

1.名詞B2
釋義

the condition of being held inside somewhere — for example, a cage, a prison, or a locked room — and not being able to walk out, usually because someone else is forcing you to stay there. Used both for humans (kidnap victims, hostages, prisoners of war) and for animals (those kept in zoos, parks, or research centres).

例句

The two journalists spent eleven months in captivity before the rebels finally released them.

in captivity for the duration of being held

Many wild tigers do not breed well in captivity, so zoos must work very carefully with each pair.

in captivity contrasted with the wild

同義詞
  • imprisonment

    formal; specifically tied to legal punishment in a prison.

  • confinement

    broader; any situation of being closed in, including medical or self-imposed.

  • detention

    official; being held by police, immigration, or military authority.

反義詞
  • freedom

    general opposite covering both people and animals.

  • liberty

    more formal; often used in political or legal contexts.

  • the wild

    specifically the opposite of captivity for animals.

文法句型

in captivity

held in captivity

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable and used with 'in' — 'in captivity', 'held in captivity', 'born in captivity', 'released from captivity'. The captor is usually a person, group, or institution (kidnappers, an enemy army, a zoo), not a natural force.

常見錯誤

❌The lion lived in a captivity for ten years.
✅The lion lived in captivity for ten years.
💡'captivity' is uncountable; do not use 'a/an' before it.
❌She was kept under captivity by the rebels.
✅She was kept in captivity by the rebels.
💡the fixed preposition is 'in', not 'under'.