Link Centre Dictionary

captive

cap·tive

UK/ˈkæptɪv/ US/ˈkæptɪv/ fairly common

noun

1.

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

Synonyms
2.

an animal that is confined

3.

a person held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion

adjective

2.

deeply moved

  • “sat completely still, enraptured by the music”
  • “listened with rapt admiration”
  • “rapt in reverie”
Similar

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • captive audience
  • captive audience meeting
  • captive bead ring
  • captive bolt pistol
  • captive candidate
  • captive insurer
  • captive nation
  • captive portal
  • take captive

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.