What does antislavery mean?
Antislavery describes opposition to slavery and the slave trade — a stance held by individuals, organizations, writings, laws, and entire political movements. Used chiefly as an adjective ('an antislavery newspaper', 'antislavery delegates'), it can also function as a noun denoting the movement itself. The word is most closely associated with the great reform campaigns of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, from British abolitionists like Wilberforce and Clarkson to American figures such as Garrison, Douglass, and Lincoln, though it remains current in debates over human trafficking and modern forced labor. Its connotations are strongly moral and humanitarian, signaling principled commitment to human freedom. Related terms include abolitionist, which implies advocacy of immediate emancipation, whereas antislavery can encompass a wider range of positions, from gradual reform to outright condemnation. Both hyphenated and unhyphenated spellings are accepted.
Opposed to slavery or the slave trade.
"She joined an antislavery society while still a student."
Often used attributively before nouns such as 'movement', 'activists', or 'sentiment'.
A movement, party, or body of opinion opposed to slavery.
"The antislavery coalition won several key seats in the parliamentary election."
The antislavery movement was one of history's first truly mass political campaigns — in 1792, petitions against the slave trade bearing hundreds of thousands of signatures flooded the British Parliament.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of antislavery
The word combines the prefix 'anti-', from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against', with 'slavery', which derives ultimately from 'slave' — a word that entered medieval European languages through Old French 'esclave', from Byzantine Latin 'Sclavus', originally referring to Slavic peoples who were captured and enslaved in large numbers during the early Middle Ages. Compound forms with 'anti-' arose in English during the eighteenth century as organized opposition to the Atlantic slave trade grew, alongside parallel terms such as 'abolition' and 'emancipation'. Cognates sharing the same root include 'enslave', 'enslavement', and 'slaver'.
How antislavery is actually used
Predominantly used in historical writing about the 18th- and 19th-century movements in Britain and America, but also appears in modern discussions of human trafficking and contemporary forced labor. The hyphenated form 'anti-slavery' is equally standard, especially in British usage.
Easily confused with antislavery
An abolitionist specifically advocated the immediate and complete end of slavery, while 'antislavery' is a broader term covering any opposition to slavery, including more moderate or gradual positions.