Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

captivity

/kæpˈtɪvɪti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.56 in modern English

Syllables: cap-tiv-i-ty
IPA: /kæpˈtɪvɪti/

19

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The state of being captive.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A group of people/beings captive.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

The state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"held in captivity"
"escape from captivity"
"The animals lived in captivity at the zoo."
"He wrote a memoir about his years in captivity."
"long captivity"

Etymology

From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. By surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *kap-, captivite, captīvitās

Usage

Inflected Forms

captivities (plural)

Derived Forms

anticaptivity precaptivity semicaptivity

Frequently Paired Words

captive captor

Synonyms

enslavement imprisonment incarceration immurement

Rhymes With

activity productivity creativity negativity relativity nativity conductivity exclusivity reactivity selectivity insensitivity festivity

Questions

How do you pronounce captivity?: The recorded pronunciation is /kæpˈtɪvɪti/.
What does captivity mean?: The state of being captive.
Where does captivity come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce captivity

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “captivity”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kæpˈtɪvɪti/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “captivity”.
Repeat and practice — Say “captivity” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.