serfdom

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.

At best, the idea relates to some kind of individual flourishing, the opposite of corporate serfdom, a sloughing off of organizational chains leading to an explosion of creativity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

It is an epic saga of Judah Ben-Hur, the Jewish prince banished to Roman serfdom who after many vicissitudes returns to his people and is converted to Christianity.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2023

“They kind of lock that person to this new flavor of serfdom where it’s, you might be decently paid, you’ve got access to it, but it will never be yours,” he said.

From New York Times • Nov. 13, 2022

Thus, the tsarist state instituted serfdom in 1649 across the board, formalizing what was already a widespread institution.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

In Russia, serfdom only finally ended in 1861, two years before Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson