agrarian
Americanadjective
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relating to land, land tenure, or the division of landed property.
agrarian laws.
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pertaining to the advancement of agricultural groups.
an agrarian movement.
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composed of or pertaining to farmers.
an agrarian co-op.
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rural; agricultural.
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growing in fields; wild.
an agrarian plant.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to land or its cultivation or to systems of dividing landed property
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of or relating to rural or agricultural matters
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of agrarian
1610–20; < Latin agrāri ( us ) ( agr- stem of ager field, acre + -ārius -ary ) + -an; cf. agrestal
Explanation
Use the word agrarian to describe something related to fields, farming, or rural matters. The school calendar is still based on the old agrarian calendar, when children needed to be off during the summer to help with planting and harvesting. The adjective agrarian comes from the Latin root word ager, meaning a field, but the word's meaning has expanded to include anything rural or farm-related. "The senator, who represented mostly agrarian communities, spent most of her time working on issues of interest to farmers. She lobbied to stabilize the price of corn and milk, fought for subsidies for working farms, and presented ribbons to the prized pig at the county fair."
Vocabulary lists containing agrarian
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Down on the Farm
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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.
Month-long winter breaks and three-month summer vacations are outdated customs based on historical agrarian calendars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
However, northern Honduras has been the site of ongoing agrarian conflict for years.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
“Sound of Falling” presents Alma’s and Erika’s agrarian segments as dusty museum pieces, with even the 1980s and 21st century portions coming across as hazy snapshots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2026
This framework also helps explain why agrarian societies, which normally benefit from living spread out, sometimes gathered in cities despite the financial and social costs.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2025
International economists often describe South Korea as the single most impressive example of what free markets, democratic government, and elbow grease can do to transform a small agrarian backwater into a global powerhouse.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
