peasant

noun

Definition of peasantnext
as in clown
a person of low social status Those snobs treat anyone who lives on the "wrong" side of town like an insignificant peasant.

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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 peasant Coastal-meets-countryside, meaning the brand’s online shelves are well-stocked with pleated shirtdresses, flowing peasant tops, and striped mesh tote bags for housing towels and your newest beach read. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 July 2026 The back-to-the-land aesthetic of peasant skirts, head scarves, and florals seems to seep into fashion at this time of year, but a distinctly folk vibe is now taking over interiors too. — Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 June 2026 Karelian bear dogs were originally used by Finnish and Russian peasants as watch dogs and for hunting, according to the American Kennel Club. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 In the early nineteenth century, after Egyptian peasants happened upon ancient fragments, archaeologists began to look in such places for pieces of manuscript, which could vary in size from a few letters to a slice of text. — Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for peasant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peasant
  1. clown
  2. provincial
  3. peon
  4. gawk
  5. mountaineer
  6. rustic
Noun
  • Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • The group demonstrated near the Washington Monument and was met by a few counter protestors, one of which played clown music throughout the majority of the demonstration.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of clown
Noun
  • Marlowe, the son of a poor Canterbury cobbler, and Shakespeare, the son of a Stratford glover and alderman, were both unlikely artistic geniuses, provincials in a nation in which social class was rigidly fixed.
    — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park.
    — Gary Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2025
Definition of provincial
Noun
  • Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Not only does the peon and con man Tom end up refashioning himself as the rich and carefree Dickie, but Highsmith’s novel itself was a retelling of Henry James’s The Ambassadors.
    — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Definition of peon
Noun
  • Carrie raves to Seema about her creative connection with Duncan, and during another writing session, Duncan helps Carrie with her faulty printer and gawks at her closet full of designer dresses and shoes.
    — Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 31 July 2025
  • The badaud, by contrast, is always liable to form a group or crowd, either for a mass gawk or some communal response.
    — Julian Barnes, The New York Review of Books, 27 Apr. 2022
Definition of gawk
Noun
  • There are élite mountaineers who, starting very early, might manage it.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Built in 1879 by enterprising townsfolk, the Zermatterhof has been welcoming royalty, celebrities, and intrepid mountaineers for nearly a century and a half.
    — Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 28 June 2026
Definition of mountaineer
Noun
  • Big Cedar Lodge Ridgedale, Missouri For a luxury-meets-rustic escape, head to Big Cedar Lodge overlooking Table Rock Lake.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 6 May 2026
  • Cozy rustic Certain styles readily lend themselves to small spaces.
    — Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of rustic

Browse Nearby Words

pearls
peasant
peasantry
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Cite this Entry

“Peasant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peasant. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on peasant

Nglish: Translation of peasant for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about peasant

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