feudal

adjective feu·dal \ ˈfyü-dᵊl \

Definition of feudal

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

feudal rights and services

2 :of, relating to, or suggestive of feudalism

feudal law

a feudal lord

—

feudally

play \ˈfyü-dᵊl-ē\ adverb

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Recent Examples of feudal from the Web

Under the feudal system, those who owed a military duty to a local lord or monarch would traditionally be bound to serve for a set period of time in limited engagements.

— lily rothman, Time, "How the Real History of Mercenary Armies Might Provide a Hint at What's Next on Game of Thrones," 7 Aug. 2017
Human strength was crucial to feudal farming and to Henry Ford’s assembly line.

— edward l. glaeser, National Review, "The War on Work — and How to End It," 1 Aug. 2017
Pakistan has far fewer billionaires than India does, but feudal habits are more ingrained.

— The Economist, "The pushmi-pullyuWhat makes Pakistan so unfathomable," 22 July 2017
The series began as an anti-Lord of the Rings—set in a brutal world with a feudal society where heroism was mostly rewarded with a quick and disappointing death.

— eric deggans, Fortune, "How Game of Thrones Channels Our National Id in the Age of Trump," 13 July 2017
That August, the feudal system and tithes were abolished and the Declaration of the Rights of Man enumerated the principles of the revolution.

— merrill fabry, Time, "The Surprisingly Peaceful History of Bastille Day Celebrations," 13 July 2017
HBO SHARE 1 of 10 Benioff and Weiss claim to have seen no other possible outcome for a character stranded in a marriage to a psychopath, in a skewed version of feudal society.

— TIME.com, "Game of Thrones: How They Make the World’s Most Popular Show," 30 June 2017
The regime’s only macroeconomic plan involves feeding and maintaining the black markets—for dollars, oil, food, and medicine—which mainly profit those in the military, in return for their feudal loyalty to the regime.

— andrés miguel rondón, The Atlantic, "The Long, Slow Death of Chavismo," 29 June 2017
Her sentence feels, in its elemental simplicity, like something from feudal Japan.

— sam anderson, New York Times, "New Sentences: From ‘The World to Come,’ by Jim Shepard," 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feudal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of feudal

see ²feud

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1602

See Words from the same year

Other History Terms

agonistic, carpetbagger, enceinte, fief, historiography, paladin

FEUDAL Defined for English Language Learners

feudal

adjective

Definition of feudal for English Language Learners

: of or relating to feudalism

FEUDAL Defined for Kids

feudal

adjective feu·dal \ ˈfyü-dᵊl \

Definition of feudal for Students

:relating to feudalism

Learn More about feudal

See words that rhyme with feudal Spanish Central: Translation of feudal Nglish: Translation of feudal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of feudal for Arabic speakers

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feudal

Definition of feudal

feudally

Recent Examples of feudal from the Web

Origin and Etymology of feudal

Other History Terms

FEUDAL Defined for English Language Learners

feudal

Definition of feudal for English Language Learners

FEUDAL Defined for Kids

feudal

Definition of feudal for Students

Learn More about feudal

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feudal

Definition of feudal

feudally

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Origin and Etymology of feudal

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