adjective
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owning land
landed gentry
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consisting of or including land
a landed estate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of landed
before 1000; late Middle English ( see land, -ed 3); replacing Old English gelandod (rare), past participle of *landian to endow with land ( -ed 2 )
Explanation
If someone is landed, it means they own property or acreage, and they probably inherited it. In 17th and 18th century England, owners of country estates were known as the landed gentry. This adjective almost always comes before "gentry" or "aristocracy," referring to an entire category of wealthy people. It's a bit old-fashioned, but you can still call use it for upper-class land owners. Your cousin, lucky enough to have the family estate handed down to him, is a member of the landed gentry. Landed can also describe the land itself, when someone inherits it: "The landed property was about fifty acres."
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.
The outlandishness of the claim landed the article widespread public attention.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Russian security services were waiting when the flight landed in Moscow in December.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
These champions of “free thought” landed on boldness and strength as guiding stars.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
In 2012, the shuttle landed at LAX on top of a modified Boeing 747 and made its final voyage across Los Angeles to the California Science Center at Exposition Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Christopher swung in a long, fevered parabola and landed on hands and knees on the other side of the abyss.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
