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hostage vs captive

captive vs hostage

hostage and captive both are nouns.

hostage is not an adjective while captive is an adjective.

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

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