as in slavery
the state of being an enslaved person
the Fugitive Slave Act had the effect of returning enslaved people who had made it to freedom in the North to a brutal life of servitude in the South
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of servitude
The novel follows Benedict's romance with Sophie, a young woman from a noble background who has been reduced to servitude.
—
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Does Meghan in the kitchen amount to domestic servitude?
—Mina Holland, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2025
Proposition 6 This measure would ban involuntary servitude and end mandatory work requirements for state prisoners.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Our protagonist is, once again, drifter Max Rockatansky (previously played by Mel Gibson, but now inhabited by Tom Hardy), who is captured and forced into servitude as a human blood bag for one of Joe’s warriors.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for servitude
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025
Does Meghan in the kitchen amount to domestic servitude?
—Mina Holland, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2025
Proposition 6 This measure would ban involuntary servitude and end mandatory work requirements for state prisoners.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Our protagonist is, once again, drifter Max Rockatansky (previously played by Mel Gibson, but now inhabited by Tom Hardy), who is captured and forced into servitude as a human blood bag for one of Joe’s warriors.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for servitude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for servitude
Noun
-
States gained additional representation in Congress and in the Electoral College, thereby entrenching slavery in the national political framework.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
-
By Scott Spillman The book is less about slavery than about how Americans have thought, written, and wrestled with it for more than 200 years.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Servitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/servitude. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share