servitude

noun

ˈsər-və-ˌtüd How to pronounce servitude (audio)
Definition of servitudenext
as in slavery
the state of being an enslaved person the Fugitive Slave Act had the effect of returning enslaved people who had made it to freedom in the North to a brutal life of servitude in the South

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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 servitude Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a free Black man tricked into servitude for Steve McQueen's uneasy-to-watch yet essential pre-Civil War drama. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026 Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 The daughter of a gentleman and a maid, Sophie was orphaned at a young age and forced into servitude by her own father’s wife, the staggeringly bitter and petty Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung). — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2026 In 2022, an eighty-year-old Pakistani American woman, Zahida Aman, and two of her sons were found guilty of forcing a woman from Pakistan into domestic servitude at their home in Virginia. — Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for servitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servitude
slavery
Noun
  • The administration has said in court filings that its information also discusses slavery.
    — Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • America, whose Constitution was formulated by white men, struggled to live up to its founding ideals in the days of slavery and displacement of Native Americans.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of slavery

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servitors
servitude
servitudes
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Cite this Entry

“Servitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servitude. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on servitude

Nglish: Translation of servitude for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about servitude

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