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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Recent Examples of enslavement
Their joyous innocence depicts the newest generation of Black Americans who won’t contend with enslavement but will be forced to confront the terrors of Jim Crow.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Every play in the Century Cycle has its roots in the cataclysm of enslavement, but Joe Turner takes place with Reconstruction still close in the rearview.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Moreover, nowhere in the introductory text or contemporary works in the exhibition is there an acknowledgment of California’s history of Indigenous enslavement, of haciendas and missions serving as work camps from the beginning of the Spanish colonial period well into the nineteenth century.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
In 1530 the Spanish bishop Bartolome de las Casas urged the Spanish Cortes to ban the enslavement of Indigenous persons.
—Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
If its objects are Hebrew enslavement and escape, its subject is hope.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Luxury yachters, kayakers, and recreational fishermen routinely navigate these waterways without knowing their connection to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Also on view are photos by Adrian Burrell, a third-generation resident of Oakland, California, whose photos are inspired by a family history of enslavement that threads from Senegal to Louisiana.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The tours cover the estate’s architecture, its history with horse breeding and racing and the journey from enslavement to emancipation of the African Americans who lived there.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Every play in the Century Cycle has its roots in the cataclysm of enslavement, but Joe Turner takes place with Reconstruction still close in the rearview.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026
Moreover, nowhere in the introductory text or contemporary works in the exhibition is there an acknowledgment of California’s history of Indigenous enslavement, of haciendas and missions serving as work camps from the beginning of the Spanish colonial period well into the nineteenth century.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
In 1530 the Spanish bishop Bartolome de las Casas urged the Spanish Cortes to ban the enslavement of Indigenous persons.
—Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Hartford Courant, 17 Apr. 2026
If its objects are Hebrew enslavement and escape, its subject is hope.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Luxury yachters, kayakers, and recreational fishermen routinely navigate these waterways without knowing their connection to enslavement.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
Also on view are photos by Adrian Burrell, a third-generation resident of Oakland, California, whose photos are inspired by a family history of enslavement that threads from Senegal to Louisiana.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026
The tours cover the estate’s architecture, its history with horse breeding and racing and the journey from enslavement to emancipation of the African Americans who lived there.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslavement
slavery
Noun
-
So too did the titular Joe Turner, the brother of Tennessee governor Pete Turner and a man responsible for taking prisoners from Memphis to Nashville, but who often sold them into a kind of neo-slavery on cotton plantations along the Mississippi River.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
So too did the titular Joe Turner, the brother of Tennessee Governor Pete Turner and a man responsible for taking prisoners from Memphis to Nashville, but who often sold them into a kind of neo-slavery on cotton plantations along the Mississippi River.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Enslavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslavement. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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