feudal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the accession of Leopold II in 1790, an empire based on a “feudal hierarchy of status” found itself in the age of Romantic nationalism, democracy and “enlightened ridicule.”
For most of the 20th century, the prevailing view of Southern plantations was one of feudal estates with accordingly primitive systems for the extraction of labor and thereby profit from bonded toil.
The powers of a landowner can range from the almost full sovereignty enjoyed by a mighty feudal noble to the essentially nonexistent rights I have over the protected swampland outside my window.
When the Song dynasty took over China in the late 10th century, the feudal system that gave aristocrats control of land and peasants in return for military service was breaking down.
But there are significant differences between then and now: Under the feudal system, the lord had, in principle, certain obligations to peasants in addition to his right to command them.
From Salon
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
