incarcerated

1 of 2

adjective

Synonyms of incarcerated
1
: confined in a jail or prison
Michigan law allows convicted felons to vote and run for office unless they are currently incarcerated, or if their offenses are fraud-related or constitute a breach of public trust.—The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant
… whatever was needed for her programs combating domestic violence and aiding incarcerated women, ex-offenders, and their children.—Peter Steinfels
Comparing the responses of incarcerated boys with nondelinquent adolescents, Scarpitti (1980) describes the three most probable identity resolutions …—Judith Steven-Long et al.
2
medical, of a hernia : constricted but not strangulated
Within the incarcerated, herniated gastric cardia, there was an acute, benign gastric ulcer.—Gregory J. Gallivan

incarcerated

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of incarcerate

Examples of incarcerated in a Sentence

Adjective incarcerated residents of that state are still allowed to vote in elections
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Previously, the incarcerated person needed to contact their town clerk, now the Secretary of State’s office provides applications directly upon request. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 Shortages of corrections officers result in greater restrictions on the movement of incarcerated people, who then have less access to health appointments, group therapy and other programming. — Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 Unsurprisingly, public support for watching an incarcerated man be riddled with bullets on the internet was extremely low. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 15 Oct. 2026 The Bureau of Prisons did not respond with specifics to Deadline’s request Monday for information on his medical and incarcerated status. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incarcerated

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of incarcerated was in 1766

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incarcerated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerated. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Medical Definition

incarcerated

adjective
of a hernia
: constricted but not strangulated
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