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Synonyms for

Prisoners

Noun / ˈprɪzʌnɜ:z / / ˈprɪznɜ:z / Another word for prisoners — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

People who are confined in a prison as punishment for a crime they have committed.

Synonyms & similar words

captive prisoner inmates convicts detainees offenders captives criminals jailbirds lifers outlaws slammers jailbirds yardbirds wrongdoers jailbirds jailbirds penmen

Synonyms by register

Formal

inmates detainees convicts captives

Informal

jailbirds cons inmates guests

Literary

thralls bondmen shackled souls

Antonyms

freemen citizens liberals non-offenders outsiders free people

Common collocations

  • prison inmates
  • political prisoners
  • hostages prisoners
  • prisoners of war
  • escape from prisoners
  • release prisoners
  • former prisoners
  • prisoners rights

Word family

noun prisoner
verb imprison
adjective imprisoned

Usage note

While 'prisoner' often refers to someone convicted of a crime, it can also describe anyone held against their will, such as a hostage or prisoner of war.

Compare "prisoners" with another word →

Example sentences

  1. The prisoners escaped from jail last night.
  2. The warden made sure the prisoners were fed and clothed.
  3. The prisoners were given a chance to work on the prison farm.
  4. The prisoners were allowed to write letters to their families once a week.
  5. The prisoners were visited by a chaplain who offered them spiritual guidance.

Quotes

  • The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons. - Fyodor Dostoevsky
  • It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones. - Nelson Mandela
  • In prison, those things withheld from and denied to the prisoner become precisely what he wants most of all. - Eldridge Cleaver

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