EN

Synonyms for serf

13 synonyms
3 antonyms
2 meanings

noun

Most common

slave vassal servant menial peasant peon

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Slave

slave, vassal, servant, menial, thrall, bondsman, villain, villein, bondman, helot

2. Peasant — A worker unit

peasant, peon, villager

Antonyms

lord, freeman, aristocrat

All antonyms of serf →

Definitions

n. 1
A worker unit.
n. 2
A partially free peasant of a low hereditary class, attached like a slave to the land owned by a feudal lord and required to perform labour, enjoying minimal legal or customary rights.

Related words

Word family: serfage serfdom serfhood service servile servitor servitude servo

Forms

Plural: serfs → slaves, vassals, servants, menials…

Example sentences

slave Marriage is slavery. I'd prefer not to be a slave.
servant A small regent is worth more than a large servant.
vassal Europe today is a political vassal of the USA.
menial Tom can only find menial work in this economy.
peasant Yidir is a peasant who is well-known in his village.
peon The boss treats her like a peon.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
serf		falling
slave		rising
servant		rising
vassal		steady
menial		steady
peasant		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: peon²
5 letters: slave¹, helot²
6 letters: vassal², menial³, thrall¹
7 letters: servant², villain², peasant², villein, bondman
8 letters: villager³, bondsman

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (peon² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: serf
Italiano: servo
Español: siervo
Deutsch: Leibeigener