agrarian

1 of 2

adjective

agrar·​i·​an ə-ˈgrer-ē-ən 

1

: of or relating to fields or lands or their tenure

agrarian landscapes

2

a

: of, relating to, or characteristic of farmers or their way of life

agrarian values

b

: organized or designed to promote agricultural interests

an agrarian political party

agrarian

2 of 2

noun

: a member of an agrarian party or movement (see agrarian entry 1 sense 2b)

Did you know?

Today, an acre is generally considered to be a unit of land measuring 43,560 square feet (4,047 square meters). Before that standard was set, it's believed that an acre represented a rougher measurement: the amount of land that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen. Both acre and agrarian come from the Latin noun ager and the Greek noun agrós, meaning "piece of land; field." (You can probably guess that agriculture is another descendant.) Agrarian, first used in English in the 16th century, describes things pertaining to the cultivation of fields, as well as to the farmers who cultivate them.

Synonyms

Adjective

• agricultural
• farming

Examples of agrarian in a Sentence

Adjective

a town founded in 1811 as an agrarian community

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Their routines have long endured on the fringes of their worlds, with Nina driving back and forth from her plain, modern life and the wilds of the mountain villages and Walter’s sometimes agrarian, sometimes intellectual upbringing. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024

The fundamental factors that drove Bangladesh’s evolution from a low-income, agrarian economy to a thriving industrial and digital powerhouse are still intact. —Sylvana Quader Sinha, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

Noun

The Eldon house that Wood depicted, built in 1881, wasn’t the ancestral home of sturdy agrarians. —Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023

Even if you’re not blessed with a home that’s contemporaneous with George Washington—or couldn’t distinguish between John Deere and John Derian in a police lineup, for that matter—there are still ways to embrace your inner agrarian. —Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 15 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin agrārius "of landed property" (from agr-, ager "piece of land, field" + -ārius -ary entry 2) + -an entry 2 — more at acre

Noun

derivative of agrarian entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1795, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

agrarian

adjective

agrar·​i·​an

ə-ˈgrer-ē-ən,

-ˈgrar-

1

: of or relating to fields or lands or their ownership

agrarian reforms

2

: of, relating to, or concerned with farmers or farming interests

an agrarian political party

3

: agricultural sense 2

an agrarian country