Incarcerated

[ɪnˈkɑːrsəreɪtɪd]

adjectivemedium📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

Held in custody or confinement; imprisoned.

[ɪnˈkɑːrsəreɪtɪd]

adjectiveneutralmedium
General

Held in confinement; imprisoned

The incarcerated man was serving a life sentence.

💡 Simply: Imagine someone is stuck in jail. Incarcerated means they're locked up.

👶 For kids: When someone is stuck in jail, they are incarcerated.

More Examples

2

Conditions for the incarcerated were a subject of debate.

3

After the verdict, the defendant was immediately incarcerated.

How It's Used

Legal

"The incarcerated suspect was awaiting trial."

News

"The incarcerated protestors were released after a week."

Synonyms & Antonyms

From Latin *incarceratus*, past participle of *incarcerare* ("to imprison"), from *in-* ("in") + *carcer* ("prison").

Historically, the term has been used consistently in legal and formal contexts to describe imprisonment and confinement, dating back to at least the 16th century.

Memory tip

Imagine a person inside a car... a CARcerated person, stuck inside! Incarcerated!

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"in + prison (carcer)"

the incarceratedincarcerated individualsincarcerated personwrongfully incarceratedrecently incarcerated

Common misspellings

incarseratedincarcerattedincarceratedd

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written