serfdom

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of serfdom That book, Caliban and the Witch, traces the emergence of witch hunts throughout medieval Western Europe amid the transition from serfdom to proto-capitalism. Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024 Johnson envisioned a postwar order in which former slaves would transition into permanent serfdom, destined for labor but no independent economic life and no place in politics. David W. Blight, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020 As the Big Three continue to drive down the road to serfdom, car production will continue in the United States. The Editors, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023 Following Mexico's independence in 1821, a small landowning elite replaced the colonial rulers, and most of the farmers (except those who joined farming collectives) transitioned from slavery to serfdom. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2023 See All Example Sentences for serfdom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serfdom
Noun
  • Roughly 12% were of African descent — newly unshackled, technically free and already being legally recaptured under other names: peonage, vagrancy laws, convict leasing.
    Jack Hill, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
  • Ryan Coogler didn’t want to hide anymore The film conveys two forms of peonage prominent in the 1930s South—labor arrangements not far removed from slavery.
    Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • As the two women bond, the meek Etsuko begins to wonder if this life of traditional domestic servitude is really what she was made for.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 21 May 2025
  • He was forced to live a life of misery and servitude to his aunt and uncle and their awful son before he was freed when Hagrid extended an invitation that changed his life forever.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The festival also revealed programming in honor of Juneteenth — the day, now a federal holiday, that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 30 May 2025
  • The outlet reports that the images were obtained by the university for Harvard biologist Louis Agassiz to use as evidence for a discredited pseudoscientific theory of Black racial inferiority in defense of slavery.
    Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Adapted from the Danish novels by Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit), the Netflix series is a gripping yarn about the yoke of guilt and the unwavering patience of redemption.
    EW Staff, EW.com, 30 May 2025
  • The Lounge is home to three simulators, all of which are built from parts salvaged from real airplanes, from the pilot chairs to yokes.
    Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Some of the photos and video images showed children 11 and younger in bondage and having sado-masochistic acts inflicted on them, according to a news release Thursday by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson’s office.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2025
  • Gorsuch calls out 'bondage' in children’s LGBTQ storybook 3.
    FOXNews.com, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serfdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serfdom. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!