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servitude

servitude

31 8.9
To be forced to work for and obey another person like a slave
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrvɪˌtud/
  • NSFW
translation icon : servidumbre
  • Countless women and children have been taken away for sex slavery, domestic servitude, organ harvesting.
  • involuntary servitude
  • indentured servitude
  • domestic servitude

But FYI, that's not a relationship, that's servitude.

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Examples

  • Her alternatives are limited, since escape from her servitude while the Abuela is alive thus far has proven impossible.

    Academic text (2001)
  • And now the cartel owns them as a indentured servitude type situation.

  • Our only hope is to slow it down so servitude does not hurt so bad.

    Blog text (8)
  • Offering 14 years of servitude.

  • I have always sought Christian unity, but not at the price of servitude.

  • The principal instrument of the former is freedom; of the latter, servitude.

    Academic text (2017)
  • He was hailed as the Liberator, but in reality most former serfs remain trapped in servitude and poverty.

  • Many people throughout history have faced a life of servitude, bound to work under harsh conditions for little reward.

  • The novel vividly describes the struggle of the protagonist who escapes from a life of servitude imposed by her captors.

  • In many countries, laws exist to protect individuals from being trapped in servitude and forced labor situations.

Synonyms

slavery
vsservitude
63 3.5

A situation where one person controls another person and they have no freedom

is the broader legal or social state of being subject to another
slave labour
vsservitude
  • NSFW
20 4.4

Work people are forced to do without pay, often under threat

describes the overall state of subjection beyond just forced work
enslavement
vsservitude
  • NSFW
17 6.3

Being forced to work for someone as their slave

focuses more on being subject often as punishment rather than the act itself
serfdom
vsservitude
7 9.4

A system where peasants are legally tied to a lord's land and have few rights

is broader, applying to subjection beyond the historical feudal context
thralldom
vsservitude
  • NSFW
1 9.9

Being under another person's control

adds the sense that this subjection can be formal punishment or forced labor
bonded labor
vsservitude
  • NSFW
1 8.9

An employer forces people and their families to work to pay a debt, often for generations

is wider, covering subjection for many reasons beyond debt
wage slavery
vsservitude
  • Slang
1 8.1

A situation when people must work for very low pay with no control or choice

is a more general state of subjection not tied to wages specifically
bondmaid
vsservitude
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A woman forced to work for another person without pay

is gender neutral and covers all people subject to forced labor or control
serfhood
vsservitude
9.9

A condition where peasants are tied to the land and under a lord's control

is the general state of being subject to a more powerful person
villainage
vsservitude
  • Archaic
9.9

A condition in which a farm worker must live and work on a lord's land and cannot leave

is the wider idea of being subject that also applies outside medieval law
vassalage
vsservitude
9.9

A system where people must serve and obey a lord

is less historical and covers general forced or punitive subjection

Antonyms

489 1.1

Not having to do something a rule requires

127 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

Compounds

A right not to be forced to work against your will

How Free

freedom
1.0
indenture
  • Formal
10 9.4
servitude
  • NSFW
31 8.9
bondage
16 8.6
slavery
63 3.5

Surface Forms

servitude singular
servitudes plural

Morphology

servitude = servant (semi-transparent) = serv + itude

Formed from the root related to 'serve'/'servant' plus the abstractive suffix '-itude'; learners can infer a general 'state of serving' but may not predict the specific sense of enforced labor/slavery.

Etymology

Servitude comes from the old Latin word servus, which means 'slave' and is the same root as English words serve and servant. So servitude means being under someone else's control or forced to work for them.