“Slave” vs. “Enslaved Person”: What’s the Difference?
The terms slave and enslaved person both refer to a person in a state of enslavement, but they frame the individual differently. Here, we discuss the distinctions, along with the reasons some dictionaries and style guides prefer one term over the other.
Slave vs. Enslaved Person
Over time, many writers, historians, and style guides have moved away from using the noun slave because it can imply that the person is defined by that status alone.
By contrast, enslaved person is a human-centric phrase that identifies someone as a human being, while describing enslavement as something that is done to them against their will. It separates the person’s identity from their forced circumstances.
Saying enslaved person emphasizes that slavery is an action carried out by people and systems that enslave others, instead of an identity tied to the individual. Some publications and institutions favor that phrasing outside of direct quotes and historical documentation because it can help affirm people’s agency.
Style Guide Usage
In 2021, Dictionary.com formally updated its style to align with this usage, moving away from slave and favoring enslaved person or similar constructions.
The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, a style guide for newswriting and journalism, says that enslaved people or slaves is acceptable, but notes that enslaved people “underlines that the slave status has been imposed on individuals” and says that writers should defer to the preference of the person or people they are writing about, if possible.
Organizations like the National Park Service also prefer the term enslaved person to emphasize humanity. Similarly, the NPS uses enslaver rather than slave owner to emphasize the person’s active role and responsibility in the violent system of enslavement.
In short, the shift from slave to enslaved person signals a broader move toward language that keeps people at the center of narratives, while accurately describing the systems and conditions they were forced to endure.
