# captive

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkæptɪv/ · frequency rank #11,177

## Definitions
1. One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.
2. One held prisoner.
3. One charmed or subdued by beauty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.
4. A captive insurance company, a subsidiary of a company used as its internal insurer.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English captif; derived from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“seize, hold”).
Doublet of caitiff.

## Easily confused with
- **capture** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/captive-vs-capture)
- **Castile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/captive-vs-castile)
- **caption** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-captive)
- **caprice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caprice-vs-captive)

## Common misspellings (10)
`acptive`, `capitve`, `capptive`, `captiev`, `captivve`, `capttive`, `captvie`, `catpive`, `ccaptive`, `cpative`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/captive