captive
C1Formal to neutral. More common in written English, journalism, and specific technical/business contexts than in casual conversation.
Definition
Meaning
A person or animal that has been taken prisoner or confined.
Describing something that is trapped, confined, or unable to escape a situation, often used metaphorically (e.g., a captive audience).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
While the core meaning relates to physical imprisonment, the modern use is often figurative, describing psychological, economic, or situational confinement.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal lexical difference. Slight variation in frequency: more common in American English in business contexts ('captive market', 'captive insurance').
Connotations
In both varieties, carries connotations of powerlessness and lack of choice. In business jargon (more prevalent in US), 'captive' can be neutral, describing a secured customer base.
Frequency
Comparatively low-frequency noun/adjective. The figurative use is more common than the literal 'prisoner' sense in modern corpora.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
hold/take/keep [someone/something] captivebe held/taken/kept captivea captive of [war/ circumstance/ fear]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A captive audience”
- “A captive market”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to a customer base with limited alternative choices, e.g., 'The company's software created a captive market.'
Academic
Used in history, political science (prisoners of war), sociology (captive populations), and conservation biology (captive breeding programmes).
Everyday
Mostly figurative: 'I was a captive audience during his long story.' Or discussing zoos: 'captive elephants.'
Technical
Finance: 'captive insurance' (a subsidiary formed to insure the parent company's risks). Zoology: 'captive breeding' for conservation.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The hostages were held captive for over six months.
- The zoo focuses on the welfare of its captives.
- He was a captive of his own anxiety.
American English
- The soldiers were taken captive during the raid.
- The company treats its users as a captive audience for ads.
- She felt like a captive in her high-pressure job.
adjective
British English
- The lecture was given to a captive audience of students.
- They studied tiger behaviour in a captive environment.
- The firm set up a captive insurance subsidiary in Bermuda.
American English
- The airline has a captive market on this remote island route.
- Captive breeding has helped save the species from extinction.
- He had a captive look in his eyes, as if waiting for permission.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The lion is a captive in the zoo.
- The princess was taken captive by the knight.
- The tourists were a captive audience for the street performer.
- The company sells products to a captive market on the military base.
- For years, she felt captive in a marriage that offered no emotional outlet.
- The documentary argued that captive breeding programmes are a last resort for endangered species.
- The regime's propaganda was most effective among its captive population, who had no access to foreign media.
- The financial holding established a captive insurer to mitigate its operational risks more efficiently.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'CAPTIVE' as containing 'CAPTURE' inside it. If you are capTIVE, you have been capTUREd.
Conceptual Metaphor
FREEDOM IS SPACE TO MOVE / RESTRAINT IS CONFINEMENT. Being a 'captive' is the ultimate state of being metaphorically or physically in a 'cage' or 'box'.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- False friend with 'капитан' (captain).
- Direct translation of 'captive audience' as 'пленная аудитория' sounds overly literal. Better: 'аудитория, которая не может уйти'.
- Confusion with 'captivate' (to charm), which is related but distinct.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'captive' as a verb (incorrect). The verb is 'capture' or 'take captive'.
- Confusing 'captive' (imprisoned) with 'captivating' (fascinating).
- Overusing the literal meaning in modern contexts where figurative is more apt.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following uses of 'captive' is primarily a BUSINESS term?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is both. As a noun: 'The captives were released.' As an adjective: 'a captive audience.'
'Captive' means imprisoned or confined. 'Captivated' means fascinated or charmed. They share a root but have very different meanings.
No. The verb forms are 'capture', 'take captive', or 'hold captive'. You cannot say 'they captived him'.
It is neutral to formal. In everyday speech, words like 'trapped' or 'stuck' are often used for the figurative sense. 'Captive' is more common in writing and specific contexts like news, business, or academia.
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