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Captivity vs Imprisonment - What's the difference?

captivity | imprisonment |

As nouns the difference between captivity and imprisonment

is that captivity is the state of being captive while imprisonment is a confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, as punishment for a crime.

captivity

English

Noun

(captivities)
  • The state of being captive.
  • (obsolete) A group of people/beings captive.
  • The state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved.

    • See also

    * captive * captor

    imprisonment

    English

    Alternative forms

    * emprisonment (obsolete)

    Noun

  • A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, as punishment for a crime.
  • * Spenser
    • His sinews waxen weak and raw / Through long imprisonment and hard constraint.
  • * Blackstone
    • Every confinement of the person is an imprisonment , whether it be in a common prison, or in a private house, or even by forcibly detaining one in the public streets.
  • * (Sir Walter Raleigh)
    • Oh, by what plots, by what forswearings, betrayings, oppressions, imprisonments , tortures, poisonings, and under what reasons of state and politic subtilty, have these forenamed kings