Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who is confined or imprisoned, especially during wartime or political conflict: An "internee" refers to an individual who is detained, typically by a government or military authority, often without a formal trial. This confinement usually occurs in a specific restricted area, such as a camp, and is frequently applied to civilians of an enemy nation, political prisoners, or individuals considered security threats during times of war or emergency.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • During the war, the government established camps for enemy alien internees.
  • The Red Cross was allowed to visit the civilian internees to check on their living conditions.
  • She wrote a memoir about her experiences as a political internee.

Advanced Usage

• Historical Context: The term is strongly associated with 20th-century conflicts, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II or the detention of individuals in internment camps.
  • The museum exhibit documented the lives of Japanese American internees.

Variants and Related Words

• Intern (verb): To confine or imprison, especially during a war.
  • The government decided to intern individuals deemed a security risk.
• Internment (noun): The state of being confined as an internee; the act of interning.
  • The internment of civilians during the conflict was a controversial policy.

Synonyms

• Detainee: A person held in custody, especially for political reasons.
• Prisoner: A person captured and kept confined.
• Inmate: A person confined to an institution such as a prison or camp.

Antonyms

• Liberator: A person who sets others free from confinement or oppression.
• Free citizen: A person enjoying full legal rights and freedom of movement.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Behind barbed wire": A phrase often used to describe the situation of internees, emphasizing their confinement in secured camps.
  • For years, the family lived behind barbed wire as internees.

Noun

1. a person who is interned
   • the internees were enemy aliens and suspected terrorists