Meaning & use
feudalism
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Meanings
noununcountablespecialist
The medieval system in which nobles held land from a ruler and peasants worked it in return for protection.
Grammar: Uncountable: the rise of feudalism.
Patterns
- under feudalism
- the decline of feudalism
Under feudalism, peasants worked the lord's land.
Feudalism declined after the Black Death.
noununcountablefigurative
Any system with rigid classes in which a few powerful people control land and others serve them.
Grammar: Figurative use.
Patterns
- modern feudalism
Critics call the arrangement a modern feudalism.
The estate was run like feudalism.
Common combinations
- medieval feudalism
- Medieval feudalism shaped Europe.
- decline of feudalism
- The decline of feudalism took centuries.
- European feudalism
- European feudalism was complex.
- feudalism and manorialism
- Feudalism and manorialism are related.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feudal system
- A common phrase meaning the same.
- serfdom
- Describes the peasants' position only.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: feudalism or feud?
feudalism vs feud
A feud is a long quarrel.
Practice
Under ___, peasants farmed the land of a lord in return for protection.
Choose one answer.
Feudalism was the medieval land-for-service system. The others are different systems.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feudalism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.