enslavement

/ɪnˈsleɪvmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈsleɪvmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /-mənt/ (ame, mw)

enslavement — noun

1. the act of taking away people's freedom and forcing them to live as someone else

1.名詞C1
釋義

the act of taking away people's freedom and forcing them to live as someone else's slaves

例句

The army's enslavement of villagers destroyed families across the valley.

pattern: enslavement of [people]

After the raid, Mauricio was sold into enslavement far from home.

pattern: sold into enslavement

同義詞
  • subjugation

    broader loss of freedom or power, not always literal slave status

  • captivity

    focuses on being held prisoner, without necessarily implying ownership

  • trafficking

    stresses illegal movement or sale of people, often leading to enslavement

反義詞
  • emancipation

    formal term for being legally or officially set free

  • liberation

    broader release from control or imprisonment

文法句型

enslavement of somebody

enslavement by force

sell somebody into enslavement

用法筆記

Usually used in historical or human-rights writing. Common patterns are enslavement of + group and sell somebody into enslavement.

常見錯誤

❌The book studies enslavement in the American South.
✅The book studies slavery in the American South.
💡'Slavery' names the whole system, while 'enslavement' usually focuses on forcing people into it.

2. a state of domination in which another person or system controls what someone th

2.名詞C1
釋義

a state of domination in which another person or system controls what someone thinks, feels, and does

例句

Years of fear kept Faisal in emotional enslavement to his father.

collocation: emotional enslavement

The cult used shame and praise as tools of enslavement.

pattern: tools of enslavement

同義詞
  • domination

    general strong control, without the historical slave meaning

  • subjection

    formal word for being under another person's power

  • oppression

    stresses harsh or unfair treatment, often by a system or ruler

反義詞
  • independence

    focuses on acting and deciding for yourself

  • autonomy

    more formal term for personal self-rule

文法句型

emotional enslavement to somebody

a form of enslavement

tools of enslavement

用法筆記

Often figurative, especially for emotional, political, or psychological domination. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about being trapped in a harmful condition rather than being controlled in every part of life.

3. the process of keeping someone stuck in a harmful situation that they cannot eas

3.名詞C1
釋義

the process of keeping someone stuck in a harmful situation that they cannot easily leave

例句

Low wages and threats created a form of enslavement for migrant workers.

pattern: enslavement for [group]

Shirin saw the loan as a slow enslavement to endless payments.

pattern: enslavement to [cause]

同義詞
  • entrapment

    focuses on being caught in a difficult situation

  • exploitation

    stresses unfair use of someone's work or weakness

  • bondage

    more formal and often stronger, with a sense of lasting restriction

反義詞
  • release

    general term for being let out or freed

  • escape

    focuses on getting away by your own action

文法句型

enslavement to debt

lifelong enslavement

escape enslavement

用法筆記

Often appears with causes such as debt, poverty, or abusive work. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense emphasizes being unable to get out of a bad condition, not having every thought or feeling controlled by someone else.

4. the condition of living as a slave and having no freedom over your own work or l

4.名詞C1
釋義

the condition of living as a slave and having no freedom over your own work or life

例句

The memoir describes years of enslavement on a sugar plantation.

pattern: years of enslavement

Families passed stories of enslavement from one generation to the next.

同義詞
  • bondage

    formal word for being held in a state of forced dependence or captivity

  • servitude

    formal word for forced service, often in legal or historical writing

  • slavery

    often names the whole system as well as the condition of being a slave

反義詞
  • freedom

    broad everyday opposite of being under ownership or control

  • liberty

    more formal term often used in political or historical writing

文法句型

years of enslavement

live in enslavement

during enslavement

用法筆記

Usually refers to the lived condition of people already held as slaves, especially in historical writing. Unlike sense 1, it names the condition itself rather than the act that created it.