slave
5 synonyms and 3 antonyms for slave, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A person legally owned by another and forced to work without freedom or pay.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A person legally owned by another and forced to work without freedom or pay.
“In the novel, a slave escapes from the plantation and searches for her family.”
Opposites
Etymology
From Medieval Latin sclavus ("slave"), from Late Latin Sclavus ("Slav") — a grim legacy of Slavic peoples being forced into slavery in the Middle Ages.
Full origin of slave →Frequently asked questions
What does “slave” mean?
The word “slave” means a person legally owned by another and forced to work without freedom or pay. In plain terms, historically, a person owned and forced to work by another; today also used figuratively for being controlled by a habit, or technically for a subordinate device.
How do you pronounce “slave”?
“Slave” is pronounced slayv (/sleɪv/ in IPA).
How do you use “slave” in a sentence?
Here is “slave” used in a sentence: “The museum exhibit traced the journeys of enslaved people brought across the Atlantic.”
What part of speech is “slave”?
“Slave” is a noun.
Where does the word “slave” come from?
The word “slave” comes from Late Latin. From Medieval Latin sclavus ("slave"), from Late Latin Sclavus ("Slav") — a grim legacy of Slavic peoples being forced into slavery in the Middle Ages.
Is “slave” a common word?
“Slave” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “slave” have?
“Slave” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a person legally owned by another and forced to work without freedom or pay.
What is the difference between a 'slave' and a 'servant'?
A slave is a person legally owned by another and forced to work without freedom or pay. A servant is employed, is paid for their work, and keeps their personal freedom, so the key difference is ownership and consent.
What is the difference between a 'slave' and a 'serf'?
A slave is owned outright as another person's property. A serf, under the feudal system, was bound to work the land of a lord but was not owned as an object and could not simply be bought and sold in the same way.
