ENSLAVEMENT Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

enslavement

noun

Definition of enslavement

as in slavery

the state of being an enslaved person having known the misery of enslavement first hand, Frederick Douglass went on devote his life to the cause of making others free

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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 enslavement In one scene, Cora is hired to reënact her enslavement at a living museum. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Barely a page passes where our protagonists aren’t threatened with rape, death or enslavement or rescued by a preposterous set of coincidences. — Literary Hub, 30 June 2026 They were published in the North and South, performed in racist minstrel shows and polite parlors, and sung by abolitionists and defenders of enslavement alike. — Christopher Lynch, The Conversation, 1 July 2026 The following citations relate to the abuse of black Americans, whose enslavement was slyly written into the Constitution. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Some states, like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and later New York and New Jersey, put enslavement on the road to extinction early on. — New York Times, 22 June 2026 The beverage that fueled conversations that inspired America's fight for independence — centered on the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — depended on enslavement. — James Doubek, NPR, 3 July 2026 He was held captive in Creek and Natchez communities before being sold by his Indigenous captors to a fur trader, leading to a decade of re-enslavement on a South Carolina plantation. — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2026 Salem Poor Salem Poor was born into enslavement around 1747 and grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, according to the NPS. — Catherine Messier, The Providence Journal, 4 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslavement

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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enslavement

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

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Synonyms of enslavement

noun

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