as in peonage
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Recent Examples of serfdom
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
The pandemic decreased competition among laborers, raising wages and putting the oppressive system of serfdom in a death spiral.
—Cody Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2023
All designed to warn us that behind the veneer of jurisprudential poise and Middle American decency, Amy Coney Barrett is some theocratic medievalist monster, primed to send women back to the kitchen, African-Americans back to the plantations, and the country back to serfdom.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2020
Birmingham sketches out Russia’s mid-century byzantine chaos with a deft hand, up to the point in 1849 when Dostoevsky was sentenced to death for associating with the Petrashevsky Circle, a progressive group that advocated the ending of serfdom and other measures inimical to czarist autocracy.
—Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for serfdom 
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 22 June 2023
The pandemic decreased competition among laborers, raising wages and putting the oppressive system of serfdom in a death spiral.
—Cody Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2023
All designed to warn us that behind the veneer of jurisprudential poise and Middle American decency, Amy Coney Barrett is some theocratic medievalist monster, primed to send women back to the kitchen, African-Americans back to the plantations, and the country back to serfdom.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 19 Oct. 2020
Birmingham sketches out Russia’s mid-century byzantine chaos with a deft hand, up to the point in 1849 when Dostoevsky was sentenced to death for associating with the Petrashevsky Circle, a progressive group that advocated the ending of serfdom and other measures inimical to czarist autocracy.
—Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2021
See all Example Sentences for serfdom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serfdom
Noun
-
The Black community’s relationship with growing food is colored by exploitive practices, from slavery to sharecropping, tenant farming and peonage, or debt servitude.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Detroit Free Press,
27 Nov. 2024
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Further, this much control over the autonomy of an athlete’s rights to their own NIL rights combined with a financial obligation could also trigger scrutiny under the 13th Amendment, which, in addition to abolishing slavery, placed prohibitions on peonage (i.e., working against your will).—
Joe Sabin,
Forbes,
10 Oct. 2024
Noun
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And taken alongside the failure of Prop. 6, which would have ended involuntary servitude in prisons, Prop. 36 was taken as a signal that Californians attitudes toward crime are changing.—
Annika Merrilees,
Sacramento Bee,
16 Jan. 2025
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This is part of a national move to ban involuntary servitude in states whose constitutions still indicate the practice is legal.—
Anabel Sosa,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This reflects the legacy of slavery, discrimination and uneven economic development over generations.—
Tom Kemeny,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2025
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The site, which documents the legacy of slavery in America, uses first-person narratives, art, educational exhibits, and interactive media to tell a comprehensive story.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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An actor’s reputation can sometimes feel like a heavy yoke; in Gladiator II, Denzel tosses it off and has a blast, taking the audience with him.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
22 Nov. 2024
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Inspired by Western heritage, its design features a distinctive yoke, a vertical chest pocket, and two lower side-entry flap pockets, providing both style and practicality.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes,
21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
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His downfall comes only when the titular hero, the Sandman, also known as the Prince of Stories, frees Calliope from bondage.—
Lila Shapiro,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near serfdom
Cite this Entry
“Serfdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serfdom. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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