peasantry

noun

peas·​ant·​ry ˈpe-zᵊn-trē How to pronounce peasantry (audio)
1
2
: the position, rank, or behavior of a peasant

Examples of peasantry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It’s centered around Tartu University, founded by Swedes in 1632, a time before the Russian occupation when the quality of life for Estonian peasantry declined rapidly. Lisa Lucas, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 In contrast, the Aramaic speaking peasantry were left to their own devices. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012 Like so many Ukrainian films of the 1960s, Stone Cross functions as a broader allegory for the destruction of the Ukrainian peasantry from the late 19th century until the Holodomor of 1932–33, when Stalin engineered a massive famine that killed millions of Ukrainians. Joshua First, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2022 Quite often, and especially today, language change does not occur from on high (in fact, the top-down imposition of standard national languages on the masses is more a recent feature of post-Enlightenment nationalism; Latin spread in the Roman Empire over centuries among the western peasantry). Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2010 Some of the Khasi were probably assimilated into the post-Munda (Indo-European or Dravidian speaking) peasantry. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2011 Many Protestants even contendthat Christianization of the European peasantry was not completed until after the Reformation. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2012 What occurred here is that there was a gradual shift in the peasantry to Islam, but by the mid-9th century there were no elite lineages which patronized Zoroastrianism. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2011 For anyone who knows the history, though, there is also an invisible story of the Ukrainian peasantry murdered by Stalin in the thirties. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peasantry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of peasantry was circa 1553

Dictionary Entries Near peasantry

Cite this Entry

“Peasantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peasantry. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peasantry

noun
peas·​ant·​ry -ᵊn-trē How to pronounce peasantry (audio)
: peasants as a group
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!