What does capitulated mean?
"Capitulated" is the past tense of "capitulate," meaning to surrender or yield, most often after resisting for some time. In its original military sense, an army that had capitulated gave itself up on negotiated terms rather than fighting on. Today the word is used far more often figuratively: a politician may be described as having capitulated to public opinion, or a company as capitulating to regulators' demands. Because of this, the word often carries a faintly negative connotation, suggesting that the person or side who gave in showed weakness or abandoned their position too easily. It is a formal word, typical of news reporting, history, and serious prose, and it is usually followed by "to" — one capitulates to pressure, to demands, or to an opposing power. The word derives from the Late Latin "capitulare," meaning to divide into chapters or headings, since formal surrenders were drawn up article by article.
verbPast tense and past participle of "capitulate": to surrender or give in, especially after agreeing to specified terms or conditions; more broadly, to stop resisting an argument, demand, or pressure.
- To surrender to an enemy or opponent, typically on agreed terms.
- To give in to a demand, argument, or pressure without necessarily any formal surrender.
"After weeks of mounting pressure, the government finally capitulated and withdrew the bill."
"The besieged garrison capitulated after running out of supplies."
"She resisted the idea at first, but eventually capitulated when her colleagues outvoted her."
It comes from Latin "capitulare" — to arrange under headings — because surrendering once meant drawing up your surrender clause by clause.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capitulated
"Capitulated" comes through French "capitaliser"/Late Latin "capitulare" from Latin "capitulum" (a little head, hence a chapter or heading). In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it meant to draw up articles or terms under headings, and from this arose the sense of settling terms of surrender. English use of the surrender sense is attested from the seventeenth century. It shares the root "caput" (head) with words such as "capital," "captain," "chapter," and "decapitate."
Related word forms
How capitulated is actually used
Formal register; common in journalism and historical writing. When used figuratively it often carries a slightly critical connotation of weakness or lack of principle.
Easily confused with capitulated
"Recapitulated" means summarized or restated the main points, whereas "capitulated" means surrendered or gave in.