1
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imprisonment
the state of being held in lawful custody
sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incarceration
In a country where mass incarceration overwhelmingly impacts Black people, Gyamfi sees these deportations as a warning sign.
—
Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
The case involves disputed allegations about criminal history and incarceration details.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 July 2025
The divorced father of three said he was detained in 2013 following an incarceration for violating probation related to a drug offense.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
This panel will examine mass incarceration through multiple lenses and how the criminal justice system serves as a point of crisis of public health, black wealth building, voter disenfranchisement, and family structure.
—Essence, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
The case involves disputed allegations about criminal history and incarceration details.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 July 2025
The divorced father of three said he was detained in 2013 following an incarceration for violating probation related to a drug offense.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
This panel will examine mass incarceration through multiple lenses and how the criminal justice system serves as a point of crisis of public health, black wealth building, voter disenfranchisement, and family structure.
—Essence, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarceration
Noun
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At least 20 living hostages are believed to still remain in Hamas captivity.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 July 2025
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Zelensky said most of the Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since 2022.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Noun
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The restaurant, located at 810 1/2 E. 31st St., was opened in 1951 by Paul and Kitty Kawakami, a Japanese-American couple who was confined in a California internment camp during World War II despite both being born in the U.S., according to The Star’s archives.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 July 2025
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Her grandfather, along with other family members, was imprisoned during World War II in the Japanese internment camps, losing the family farm in the process.—
Brittany Anas,
Denver Post,
23 July 2025
Noun
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After serving her sentence, Yang was transferred to an ICE detention facility and released in 2023 with a removal order from the US.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
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His administration's actions, which include a marked increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and substantial emphasis on detention facilities, have underscored this focus.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Based on true events, the Gorgona Island prison, 34 miles off the Pacific coast, was once one of the most brutal of tropical penitentiary for murderers, rapists and political prisoners, notorious for its use of torture.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 July 2025
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The perspective of the newspapers is also critical because most information about incarceration comes from law enforcement personnel and prison data, which tend to frame prison populations as a singular unit and focus on data instead of people.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Writing becomes an act of containment—not confinement.—
Matthew Clark Davison,
Literary Hub,
11 July 2025
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The former president returned to confinement in the Seoul Detention Center about 20 km (12 miles) south of the capital after the decision.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarceration. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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