serf

as in slave
a person in the past who belonged to a low social class and who lived and worked on land owned by another person Medieval serfs who tended land owned by a lord.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for serf
Noun
  • Over the centuries, Muslim traders built mosques and schools in sedate Tamale, which was more inland and distant from the direct links of the transatlantic slave and colonial trade.
    Edna Bonhomme, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Beckett’s symbols of master and slave — the whip, the rope, the servant weighed down with baggage — are either mimed or cut and in doing so lose its real horror.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • If dogs are our servants, cats are our shadows.
    Rebecca van Laer September 30, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Beckett’s symbols of master and slave — the whip, the rope, the servant weighed down with baggage — are either mimed or cut and in doing so lose its real horror.
    Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serf. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on serf

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!