enslaved 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of enslavednext
as in indentured

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enslaved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of enslave
as in defeated
to take control of and assert authority over
—usually used as (be) enslaved Her ancestors were enslaved during the war.

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of enslaved
Adjective
Of the 10 children Edy and her husband, Joseph Fossett, an enslaved blacksmith, had together, three were born in the White House. — Sophie Clausen, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026 And the Hemings family was an enslaved family, an enslaved Black family on Monticello's plantation who - which included Sally Hemings, who was the daughter of Elizabeth Hemings and John Wayles. — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
The brutality and inhumanity that white Americans inflicted on free and enslaved Black people drove them out. — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026 There, our ancestors and those of your African-American cousins and family were enslaved. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for enslaved
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslaved
  1. imprisoned
  2. defeated
  3. bound
  4. reduced
  5. confined
  6. annihilated
  7. captive
  8. subjugated
Adjective
  • The favorite to win Brazil’s election has promised to free his imprisoned father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, grant amnesty to supporters and impeach Supreme Court justices.
    — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The company is required by its contract and state policy to provide mental health treatment, education and other services to imprisoned youth.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of imprisoned
Verb
  • In 2026, Keiko Fujimori narrowly defeated a left-wing candidate to win the Peruvian presidency, while most recently, in Colombia, conservative attorney Abelardo de la Espriella bested left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Since Baker Mayfield signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, the Panthers have defeated their division rivals just once in the past seven meetings, including Carolina’s 43-13 blowout loss at home Sunday.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of defeated
Adjective
  • The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.
    — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
  • To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Definition of bound
Verb
  • The combination also reduced the hazard of cancer spreading to distant sites or death by 38%.
    — Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In Spain, modern farming methods have reduced the practice of transhumance to a small group of farmers that keep the tradition alive not just for its environmental benefits but also for its cultural value.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of reduced
Adjective
  • That gave the team an additional visual reference during one of neurosurgery’s most confined operating environments.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Sewers can contain numerous hazards, including noxious and potentially deadly gases, unstable surfaces, flooding risks, and confined spaces.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of confined
Verb
  • Atlanta roughed up the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau, then annihilated the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid smashed into Earth, kicking up tsunamis and dropping hot debris that annihilated non-avian dinosaurs and many other species.
    — Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of annihilated
Adjective
  • Federal agencies have overlapping jurisdiction over captive marine mammals –– for sea lions, the USDA oversees their welfare and NOAA decides who can keep them for public display.
    — Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • During captive-carry testing, engineers can assess equipment carried by an aircraft before proceeding to more demanding flight demonstrations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of captive
Verb
  • In fact, in this retelling, their free will and autonomy are essential elements of that virtuous cycle, rather than subjugated by it.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • It’s gotten there by largely avoiding the trap of remaking the original story, in which an astronaut (Heston) crash-lands on a mysterious world in which apes are the dominant species and humans are subjugated, nonverbal creatures.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of subjugated

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Enslaved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslaved. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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