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captive vs hostage

hostage vs captive

captive and hostage both are nouns.

captive is an adjective but hostage is not an adjective.

Word NounAdjectiveVerbAdverb
captive Yes Yes No No
hostage Yes No No No
As nouns, hostage is a hyponym of captive; that is, hostage is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than captive:
  • captive: a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
  • hostage: a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms
captive (noun) hostage (noun)
an animal that is confined a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
a person held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion
captive (adjective) hostage (adjective)
giving or marked by complete attention to
being in captivity
Difference between captive and hostage

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