Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words (original) (raw)

slavery

[ sley-v_uh_-ree, sleyv-ree ]

noun

  1. the condition of being enslaved, held, or owned as human chattel or property; bondage.
    Synonyms: enthrallment, thralldom
  2. a practice or institution that treats or recognizes some human beings as the legal property of others.
  3. a state of subjection like that of a slave:
    He longed to escape the slavery of drug addiction.
  4. Synonyms: labor, moil

/ ˈsleɪvərɪ /

noun

  1. the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune
  2. the subjection of a person to another person, esp in being forced into work
  3. the condition of being subject to some influence or habit
  4. work done in harsh conditions for low pay

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Other Words From

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Word History and Origins

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Synonym Study

Slavery,

bondage,

servitude

refer to involuntary subjection to another or others.

Slavery

emphasizes the idea of complete ownership and control by an owner or master:

to be sold into slavery.

Bondage

indicates a state of subjugation or captivity often involving burdensome and degrading labor:

in bondage to a cruel master.

Servitude

is compulsory service, often such as is required by a legal penalty:

penal servitude.

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Example Sentences

But sponsors stretched the English language when they pitched it as ending the last vestiges of “slavery.”

“But you can’t be surprised that the white African guy’s first idea is slavery.”

The California measure, he said, didn’t create a similar sense of urgency or shock because it lacked the word “slavery.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom in September signed a formal apology for California’s role in slavery and its legacy of racism against Black people, but overall the state’s work to deliver reparations has moved incrementally.

"My life will end after this tweet," he wrote at 19:20, adding: "I wish that one day Iranians will wake up and overcome slavery."