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confinement

confinement

80 5.9
A state of being kept in a small closed space and unable to move freely
  • noun
  • /kənˈfaɪnmənt/
translation icon : confinamiento
  • Ordinarily you would be kept in solitary confinement for an indefinite period.
  • solitary confinement
  • conditions of confinement
  • effects of confinement

And on top of all of this, we've overlaid lengthy periods of penal confinement.

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Examples

  • In addition, they were subjected to searches and a period of solitary confinement before leaving the compound.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Writing to the attorney general, he complains about his confinement in the psychiatric clinic in Oslo:

    Academic text (1999)
  • But if she broke her confinement and was caught, she'd really be in trouble.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • And I was going from, you know, imprisonment and all of that situation to confinement because of COVID.

  • Solitary confinement for the next ten years?

  • As far as we were concerned, we'd spent six months in confinement, and there were twelve to go.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • We put people into solitary confinement with no human contact other than the prison guards for decades.

  • Additionally, the oppressive conditions of confinement in an adult jail may exacerbate or create mental health disorders.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Second, the experience of being detained might change offender perceptions of the disutility of confinement.

    Academic text (2017)
  • During her house arrest, she experienced extreme confinement and isolation from her friends.

Synonyms

custody
vsconfinement
  • Specialized
370 3.9

Being held by the police after an arrest

is the neutral condition of being kept in a limited space regardless of authority
detention
vsconfinement
155 3.9

A situation in which someone is kept and not allowed to leave, often by police until a decision is made

is the overall state of limited space or freedom without implying process
captivity
vsconfinement
102 3.7

A state of being kept somewhere and not allowed to leave

is the general condition of limited freedom not focused on control by others
imprisonment
vsconfinement
  • Formal
88 4.0

Being kept in prison as a punishment by law

covers any restriction of freedom not only formal prison sentences
incarceration
vsconfinement
  • Formal
85 8.0

Being kept in prison as punishment

is the broader state of being kept in a limited space beyond legal terms
restraint
vsconfinement
73 4.7

Something used to hold a person or animal still

refers to being kept in a small space or loss of freedom rather than devices
internment
vsconfinement
15 8.6

Confinement of people in camps during war, often without a trial

is the single-person or general state of being kept in a limited area
detainment
vsconfinement
7 6.7

Being held by police or officials for a short time

is any lasting or temporary restriction of freedom without time focus
immurement
vsconfinement
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Shutting someone inside walls so they cannot leave

is similar but includes wider forms of restriction beyond wall enclosure
durrance
vsconfinement
  • Archaic
9.9

A time when someone is kept as a prisoner and not free

is the modern, neutral description of being confined without archaic tone

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

Compounds

Guards keep a prisoner alone and away from other prisoners as punishment or for safety

How Confined

imprisonment
  • Formal
88 4.0
detention
155 3.9
confinement
80 5.9
restriction
340 3.0

Surface Forms

confinement singular
confinements plural

Morphology

confinement = confine (transparent) = confine + ment

Standard noun formation from the verb 'confine' with '-ment' indicating the state or act of being confined; meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

Confinement comes from the Latin parts con- 'together' and finis 'end' or 'boundary', and it shares the same root as final and finish, so it originally meant being kept within a limit. So confinement today means being kept in a small space or having your freedom limited.