held captive
Detained against will
Held captive describes being kept confined against one's will, whether physically imprisoned or unable to escape a situation.
Captors hold hostages captive; cults hold members captive through psychological manipulation.
The phrase extends to anything that commands unwilling attention: The audience was held captive by the three-hour speech.
Often interchangeable with held prisoner, though captive emphasizes powerlessness more than incarceration.
- prisonerConfined criminal detainee
- prisoner of warDetained military personnel
- hostageCaptive held as security
- kidnappedTaken captive illegally
- imprisonedHeld in custody
against will · confined · locked away · trapped · chained · shackled · tied up · dungeon · cage · cell · behind bars · ransom · abducted · bound · locked · detained · enslaved · torture
- captivityprisoner, detained, imprisoned, incarcerated, prison
- restraintshandcuffs, shackles, chains, ropes, cuffs