SERFDOM Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

serfdom

noun

Definition of serfdom

as in peonage

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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 serfdom Kollwitz’ life also coincided with the final days of aristocratic feudalism and serfdom in Germany and the nation’s economic transition to Industrialism. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 Their desire for freedom was at the same time a denunciation of serfdom. — Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025 As the Big Three continue to drive down the road to serfdom, car production will continue in the United States. — The Editors, National Review, 18 Sep. 2023 Russian officers still treated their peasant soldiers as little better than serfs (and serfdom would not be abolished in Russia for another 50 years). — Antony Beevor, Foreign Affairs, 29 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for serfdom

Recent Examples of Synonyms for serfdom

Noun

In some cases, preexisting latifundia were modernized and adapted to the needs of export commodity production, frequently on the basis of outright slavery or any number of coercive arrangements like debt peonage and sharecropping.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
Many Black Americans fled this violent system of peonage and terror in the Great Migration, moving to cities such as Gary and Pittsburgh for a better life.

— John E. Jackson Sr, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026

Definition of peonage

Noun

Instagram direct messages to a University of Miami football player that included rape imagery, violent slavery imagery, three uses of the N-word and two uses of a homophobic slur are under investigation by the Florida Bar.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
Lincoln lost that year, but the country benefited from their arguments over the legality and morality of slavery.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of slavery

Noun

To truly understand Mason and her transformational impact requires an appreciation of her Christian belief, which sustained her through decades of enslavement and continued to guide her in freedom.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
How did the zombie go from being an emblem of enslavement and loss of autonomy in Haitian Vodou to the favorite flesh-eating grotesquerie of postapocalyptic tales?

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of enslavement

Noun

The Roadster features a steer-by-wire yoke that electronically transmits steering inputs.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Utilizing advanced digital steer-by-wire technology, this rectangular yoke replaces a mechanical steering column completely with precise electronic actuators.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of yoke

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“Serfdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serfdom. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of serfdom

noun

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