ronin

American  

[roh-nin] / ˈroʊ nɪn /

Or rōnin

noun

Japanese History.

plural

ronin, ronins

1. a samurai who no longer serves a daimyo, or feudal lord.

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ronin British  

/ ˈrəʊnɪn /

noun

1. a lordless samurai, esp one whose feudal lord had been deprived of his territory

2. such samurai collectively

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Etymology

Origin of ronin

From the Japanese word rōnin literally, “wave man” (understood as “a man tossed around like a wave”)

Example Sentences

Like Japanese ronin, Howard’s warrior protagonists possess both iron self-control and an innate fatalism.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2021

Here’s the basic synopsis from Netflix: In a war-torn feudal Japan filled with mechs and magic, the greatest ronin never known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence.

From The Verge • Apr. 1, 2021

Hector, the handsome outlaw, sees a ronin who acts suspiciously like him.

From Slate • May 24, 2018

Her last film before her retirement was Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Chushingura,” a retelling of the classic tale of the 47 ronin, a band of 18th-century samurai bent on avenging their slain leader.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2015

The forty-seven ronin were pronounced "righteous samurai" because they avenged the death of their lord, even though in doing so they committed deeds that, by themselves, would have been condemned.

From Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic by Gulick, Sidney Lewis