ENSLAVING Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

enslaving

verb

present participle of enslave

as in reducing

to take control of and assert authority over

—usually used as (be) enslaved Her ancestors were enslaved during the war.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of enslaving Instead, enslaving Native Americans furthered colonization in a more fundamental, two-pronged way. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 This is true and important, but it's presented in a way that overshadows Washington's lifetime of enslaving. — John Garrison Marks, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026 Soon, Catholic missions and Spanish rancheros sprouted, first attracting local Native peoples and later, enslaving them. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026 Soon, a local businessman (Éric Elmosnino’s Don Emmanuel) is running roughshod over the community, basically enslaving the indigenous population to build a casino. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026 Enslavement or freedom was passed down to the child through the mother, meaning white men could augment a workforce trafficked from Africa by raping with impunity and enslaving their offspring. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026 The existential risk of AI wiping out humans or enslaving us could be predicated on our laziness and lack of concern about small signs. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 The story is built around Kitana’s childhood trauma of losing her father to the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), who has taken over her home realm of Edenia, enslaving her mother as his zombie consort, Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen). — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026 Some Connecticut towns have brought history out in the open by researching and sharing information about its history with regard to enslaving people. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for enslaving

Verb

Recently, the sector has been affected by El Nino, which brings weak monsoons and dry weather, reducing yields and sucrose recovery.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Other options include reducing the level of your contributions, although there is a minimum of 5% of pay for employees and 3% for employers.

— Marc Shoffman, TheWeek, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of reducing

Verb

The Carolina Panthers enter their bye week with a lot of confidence after defeating the Detroit Lions at home on the Sunday Night Football stage.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
In this and subsequent Narnia books, Aslan leads his young followers in combating and defeating evil.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeating

Verb

Dark stars are hypothetical primordial stars that, rather than producing energy through nuclear fusion, are instead powered by self-annihilating dark matter within their cores.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
The accusation works its way through society, annihilating reputations, deservedly or not.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of annihilating

Verb

For years, Putin has been ideologically committed to subjugating all of Ukraine, attacking and reattacking the country in order to control all of it.

— Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
The ruling was widely seen by progressives as subjugating the role of the individual in the election process to that of the corporation.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of subjugating

Verb

In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the New York Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez floated a ball over Ezri Konsa to Rogers, who exchanged passes with Joao Pedro before shifting sharply onto his right foot and whipping a shot just wide of David Raya’s far post.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of whipping

Verb

The team also pointed out that the same circuit is responsible for the expression of normal, context-appropriate grooming and licking.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
In the post, Wouter was pictured wearing a dog cone, which is used to prevent pets from licking, chewing or scratching surgical sites or wounds.

— Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of licking

Browse Nearby Words

enslaves

enslaving

ensnare

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Enslaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enslaving. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of enslaving

verb

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