as in peonage
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Recent Examples of serfdom
That book, Caliban and the Witch, traces the emergence of witch hunts throughout medieval Western Europe amid the transition from serfdom to proto-capitalism.
—
Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
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
Following Mexico's independence in 1821, a small landowning elite replaced the colonial rulers, and most of the farmers (except those who joined farming collectives) transitioned from slavery to serfdom.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 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
Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024
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
Following Mexico's independence in 1821, a small landowning elite replaced the colonial rulers, and most of the farmers (except those who joined farming collectives) transitioned from slavery to serfdom.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 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
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Roughly 12% were of African descent — newly unshackled, technically free and already being legally recaptured under other names: peonage, vagrancy laws, convict leasing.—
Jack Hill,
Baltimore Sun,
17 May 2025
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Ryan Coogler didn’t want to hide anymore The film conveys two forms of peonage prominent in the 1930s South—labor arrangements not far removed from slavery.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2025
Noun
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But the character’s state of servitude is largely hidden in clumsy blocking.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
29 Sep. 2025
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Whether a cell in 1598 played a part in conceiving of the scrawny, hobbled hidalgo with a cardboard visor and a bent lance is arguable, but Cervantes’ far more traumatic enslavement from 1571 until 1576 must have formed his intimate comprehension of the difference between freedom and servitude.—
Ed Simon
September 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nearby, the Legacy Museum takes visitors through the journey from enslavement to mass incarceration.—
Kurt Streeter,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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There was out-and-out enslavement, of Native Americans and Africans; there were onerous tribute demands and a labor corvée called the repartimiento.—
Greg Grandin
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These are powerful places exploring dark parts of American history, like segregation and slavery.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
8 Oct. 2025
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The river also was a focal point for those seeking to escape the bonds of slavery, said Woods, something that festival organizers hope to educate people about through its Freedom Journey smartphone app, now available to download.—
Beryl Love,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Try the trend in this dark-wash style with slimming mesh panels, a curved back yoke, classic five-pocket styling, and petite sizes 0–16.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
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This dress has a seven-button front, double chest patch pockets, and a seamed back yoke.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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To be a partisan is to live in intellectual bondage.—
John H Bolthouse,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
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The American border agency said its probe identified abuse of vulnerability, abusive working and living conditions, debt bondage, withholding of wages, and excessive overtime.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Serfdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serfdom. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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