feudalism
noun
feu·dal·ism ˈfyü-də-ˌli-zəm 
1
: the system of political organization prevailing in Europe from the 9th to about the 15th centuries having as its basis the relation of lord to vassal (see vassal sense 1) with all land held in fee (see fee sense 1) and as chief characteristics homage, the service of tenants under arms and in court, wardship (see wardship sense 1), and forfeiture (see forfeiture sense 1)
2
: any of various political or social systems similar to medieval feudalism
feudalist
ˈfyü-də-list
noun feudalistic
ˌfyü-də-ˈli-stik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Capitalism is constantly mutating into something else, and a growing number of scholars think the online age could be giving way to a sort of neo-feudalism. 
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 John Locke, after the fall of the Cromwell regime—is a design for perfect feudalism, with social rank and authority corresponding exactly, in perpetuity, to the amount of land held by an individual. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Capitalism, the scholar Cedric Robinson argues, was not a revolutionary departure from feudalism but an extension of it, a new permutation. Eula Biss, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022 The term—a modern-day twist on a phrase Communist revolutionaries used to refer to the evils of imperialism, feudalism and crony capitalism—has been invoked for years in China to describe the costs associated with housing, education and healthcare. Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2022 For its part, Kering gets first look at a new crop of talent without the whiff of feudalism attached to a prize, as well as a bird’s-eye view on new ways of selling and communicating without any risk to its more boldface brands. New York Times, 16 Dec. 2021 Still later, as feudalism declined, the Catholic Church encouraged and enforced imprisonment for unpaid debts. Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021 The museum charts South Korea’s rise out of feudalism and colonialism into the democratic present. E. Tammy Kim, The New York Review of Books, 17 Dec. 2020 The setting is little more than an opportunity for Cannon, who wrote the Pitch Perfect movies and directed the uproariously sweet Blockers, to dole out easy criticisms of feudalism in the name of female agency. David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2021 See More
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2022 John Locke, after the fall of the Cromwell regime—is a design for perfect feudalism, with social rank and authority corresponding exactly, in perpetuity, to the amount of land held by an individual. Marilynne Robinson, Harper’s Magazine , 20 July 2022 Capitalism, the scholar Cedric Robinson argues, was not a revolutionary departure from feudalism but an extension of it, a new permutation. Eula Biss, The New Yorker, 8 June 2022 The term—a modern-day twist on a phrase Communist revolutionaries used to refer to the evils of imperialism, feudalism and crony capitalism—has been invoked for years in China to describe the costs associated with housing, education and healthcare. Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2022 For its part, Kering gets first look at a new crop of talent without the whiff of feudalism attached to a prize, as well as a bird’s-eye view on new ways of selling and communicating without any risk to its more boldface brands. New York Times, 16 Dec. 2021 Still later, as feudalism declined, the Catholic Church encouraged and enforced imprisonment for unpaid debts. Kristin Collier, Longreads, 1 Dec. 2021 The museum charts South Korea’s rise out of feudalism and colonialism into the democratic present. E. Tammy Kim, The New York Review of Books, 17 Dec. 2020 The setting is little more than an opportunity for Cannon, who wrote the Pitch Perfect movies and directed the uproariously sweet Blockers, to dole out easy criticisms of feudalism in the name of female agency. David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
feudalism
noun
feu·dal·ism ˈfyü-də-ˌliz-əm
: a social system existing in medieval Europe in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and land in return