landless peasantry

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   the social class of poor farmers who do not own the land they farm

   Grammar: Used as a singular group noun; takes a singular or plural verb: The landless peasantry was growing. / The landless peasantry were angry.

   Patterns

   • the landless peasantry

   In the nineteenth century, the landless peasantry had no choice but to work for wealthy landowners.

   The reform gave land to members of the landless peasantry, changing the countryside forever.

   As the landless peasantry grew, so did social unrest in the region.

Common combinations

the rural landless peasantry

The rural landless peasantry depended on seasonal work for survival.

the landless peasantry grew

As estates expanded, the landless peasantry grew rapidly.

the landless peasantry was exploited

For generations, the landless peasantry was exploited by powerful landlords.

the plight of the landless peasantry

The novel describes the plight of the landless peasantry in vivid detail.

Synonyms and how they differ

landless laborers

More common in modern English and focuses on the workers themselves rather than the social class.

peasants without land

A descriptive phrase, not a fixed term; it is clearer for general readers but less formal.

Opposites

Word family

landless adjective

without land, especially without agricultural land

peasant noun

a poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land

peasantry noun

the whole class of peasants in a society

Commonly confused: landless peasantry or peasantry?

Practice

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