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peasantry

American  
[pez-uhn-tree] / ˈpɛz ən tri /

noun

  1. peasants collectively.

  2. the status or character of a peasant.


peasantry British  
/ ˈpɛzəntrɪ /

noun

  1. peasants as a class

  2. conduct characteristic of peasants

  3. the status of a peasant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of peasantry

First recorded in 1545–55; peasant + -ry


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.

See Examples For:

Claudius has made himself a monarch again, standing at the head of a shrieking horde of desperate peasantry who believe he can unbar the door to that heavenly place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

Instead we are left with Henry attempting to install a kinder, gentler way of taxing the peasantry; Julia scheming to keep her pregnancy safe; and Ellen and Brian preparing to risk it all for love.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025

They are members of a technological medieval peasantry.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2024

It was rumored to have been said by an out-of-touch Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, after she learned that the French peasantry had run out of bread.

From New York Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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