fiefdom

noun

fief·​dom ˈfēf-dəm 

plural fiefdoms

: an area over which someone exercises control as or in the manner of a feudal lord

The Seigneur could not sell his fiefdom without approval from the Queen.

—Timothy Foote

… he encouraged the notion that the company was an extension of himself, and certainly it had been argued over the years that in his spending habits he treated it as his personal fiefdom.

—Connie Bruck

These men began to run Brazil as their personal fiefdom.

—Sue Branford

… corruption and nepotism are as rife as ever, with regional party leaders running their local fiefdoms like mafia godfathers.

—Michael A. Hall

Synonyms of fiefdom

• area
• realm
• domain
• department
• element
• kingdom
• walk
• field
• sphere
• territory

Examples of fiefdom in a Sentence

you'll have to ask that guy—the project is his fiefdom

Recent Examples on the Web

What the week sketched instead is a near-term map of fiefdoms. — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

The stand-alone Department of Gun Violence Reduction would supplant the existing mayoral Office of Community Safety, putting under the new department’s control $100 million worth of programs currently handled by other city fiefdoms. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026

In India a major political crisis is brewing which will soon cause the Congress Party to split into two factions, one of which will become the dynastic fiefdom of Indira Gandhi and her family. — Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

Many Chicagoans were irate that their absentee neighbor gobbled up parkland for his private fiefdom, though center staff point out that the project really added a few extra acres to it by excising the roadway that cut the South Side off from the water. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fiefdom

• chiefdom