feudal

adjective

feu·dal ˈfyü-dᵊl

: of, relating to, or suggestive of feudalism

feudal law

a feudal lord

: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a medieval fee (see fee entry 1 sense 1)

feudal rights and services

feudally

ˈfyü-dᵊl-ē

adverb

Examples of feudal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even the best corporate stewards of our data are getting into the advertising game, and the decade-old feudal model of security—where a single company provides users with hardware, software, and a variety of local and cloud services—is breaking down. —

Barath Raghavan, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2023 This is what Putin’s Russia has been reduced to: a feudal system in which the supreme leader hands out pieces of property to his vassals to manage or delegates functions to them at his subjects’ expense. —

Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023 Dancers came out in intricate facial makeup evocative of feudal Japan as well as more classic circus clown looks, while gymnasts made elaborate pyramids hoisting one another in the air while one performer balanced himself on a small barrel while standing on six skateboards. —

Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2023 Fearing a repeat of the bloodshed in 1915, they were escorted out by French troops to settle in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, on land bought from an Ottoman feudal lord. —

Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023 Violence ensued, and Mr. Khan quickly admitted defeat, moving Hyderabad’s largely poor, agrarian populace from feudal domination into a modern democracy. —

Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023 The civil war in question began in 1467 with the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate, which left rival feudal lords vying for control of Japan. —

Jacquelyne Germain, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2023 Selected by a feudal lord, the shōya was the liaison between the government and farmers, storing rice, collecting taxes, enforcing the law, and taking responsibility for the planting and harvesting. —

Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2023 Once the seat of the feudal lord of the Matsura clan and the Lord of Hirado, the present castle dates to 1704, having been restored in 1962. —

Chris Cameron, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feudal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.