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.
Rather than uncovering a loophole, they appear to have landed themselves squarely in legal jeopardy.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and their two children landed Wednesday in Britain, UK media reported, after the shock news emerged last week they would be relocating from the United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Asked if the message had "landed", Nottinghamshire's Tongue replied: "Yeah, 100%. What has happened in the past is the past and we need to try to move on from that."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
However, Tom revealed that Perez was not happy with his decision from the moment he landed in his new city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
He landed on his diaper, and it was wet.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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.
