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
-
During the colonial era, slaves were forcibly baptized here before being sold.—
Mathew Schmalz,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2026 -
The fears of robot uprising, from his perspective, are essentially the fears of slave revolt, of the working class seizing the means of production.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thank you to the public servants wrestling with impossible decisions.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Digital ethics expert Davi Ottenheimer argued that the presentation evoked both blackface and the fantasy of a controllable Black servant.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Serf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serf. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
