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imprisonment

imprisonment

88 4.0
Being kept in prison as a punishment by law
  • noun
  • /ɪmˈprɪzənmənt/
  • Formal
translation icon : prisión
  • She has suffered arrest and imprisonment at the hands of her opponents.
  • fines or imprisonment
  • years' imprisonment
  • sentenced to imprisonment

Right now was commuted to domestic imprisonment.

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Examples

  • He has now been sentenced to life imprisonment for spying for the United Kingdom.

  • He was sentenced to life imprisonment and transported to Folsom Prison.

  • No, we lost contact for about seven, eight years and I recently found out about his imprisonment.

  • My father's imprisonment made me think that I will never get my father back.

  • You face a natural life imprisonment without possible parole, OK?

  • In five years, the men you sentenced to life imprisonment will be free.

  • The reason for my imprisonment is a puzzle to more than just me.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The sentence, in the case of all of the accused, is life imprisonment.

  • Where you will serve a sentence of life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He was shocked to learn about his friend's imprisonment after the trial concluded.

Synonyms

detention
vsimprisonment
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 formal punishment imposed after conviction, not temporary holding
captivity
vsimprisonment
102 3.7

A state of being kept somewhere and not allowed to leave

is restricted to legal state punishment rather than general control by others
incarceration
vsimprisonment
  • Formal
85 8.0

Being kept in prison as punishment

is the common term for the same legal punishment
confinement
vsimprisonment
80 5.9

A state of being kept in a small closed space and unable to move freely

is specifically the legal punishment of being held by the state
prison term
vsimprisonment
19 4.2

A period of time someone must spend in jail as punishment for a crime

is the condition of being held as punishment rather than only the time
durance
vsimprisonment
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A long time spent as a prisoner

is the legal punishment without the specific emphasis on long duration
immurement
vsimprisonment
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Shutting someone inside walls so they cannot leave

is the general legal punishment of being held, not specific wall enclosure

Antonyms

1.0

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

127 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

Compounds

15 4.7

A sentence that keeps someone in prison for the rest of their life

false imprisonment
  • Specialized
8 7.3

Keeping someone somewhere against their will when the law does not allow it

How Severe

death penalty
  • NSFW
305 4.1
life sentence
76 5.7
imprisonment
  • Formal
88 4.0
probation
  • Formal
187 5.6
fine
321 2.8
warning
1.0

Surface Forms

imprisonment singular
imprisonments plural

Morphology

imprisonment = imprison (transparent) = im + prison + ment

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ment' to the verb 'imprison', producing the state or result of being imprisoned, a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Imprisonment comes from im- meaning 'in' and prison meaning 'a place where people are kept after being caught or taken away'. So, imprisonment is the state of being kept 'in' prison as a legal punishment.