peasant

/ˈpeznt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpeznt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpe-zᵊnt/ (ame, mw)

peasant — noun

  • peasantsingular
  • peasantsplural

1. a poor farmer, especially in older societies or less wealthy regions, who lives

1.名詞C1
釋義

a poor farmer, especially in older societies or less wealthy regions, who lives by working a very small area of land.

例句

Medieval peasants paid part of their wheat harvest to the local lord.

historical setting: peasants under a lord

The novel follows a peasant family through one hard winter.

common phrase: a peasant family

同義詞
  • farmer

    the broad neutral word for someone who grows crops or keeps animals

  • smallholder

    stresses owning or using a very small farm, without the strong class sense

  • tenant farmer

    specifically a farmer who rents land from someone else

反義詞
  • landowner

    someone who owns the land rather than working it as a poor farmer

  • lord

    in historical contexts, a higher social rank above peasants

文法句型

a peasant family

peasants work the land

poor peasants in + place/time

用法筆記

Usually used for historical societies or for very poor rural communities, not for modern farmers in general. In neutral modern English, 'farmer' is the safer word.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle owns a large modern farm, so he is a peasant.
✅My uncle owns a large modern farm, so he is a farmer.
💡'peasant' usually suggests poverty, low social rank, or a historical setting.
❌The peasants in Canada bought new machines for their huge farms.
✅The farmers in Canada bought new machines for their huge farms.
💡the ordinary word for present-day farm workers or owners is usually 'farmer'.

2. an insulting word for someone seen as rude, rough, or lacking basic manners or e

2.名詞C2
釋義

an insulting word for someone seen as rude, rough, or lacking basic manners or education.

例句

The hotel manager called the noisy guests peasants after midnight.

insult pattern: call someone a peasant

Don't call Ben a peasant because he ate pizza by hand.

同義詞
  • boor

    more literary and focused on bad manners

  • lout

    suggests rude, awkward behavior and little consideration for others

  • oaf

    often stresses clumsy or foolish behavior more than class

反義詞
  • gentleman

    traditional word for a man seen as polite and well-mannered

  • lady

    traditional word for a woman seen as polite and refined

文法句型

call someone a peasant

treat someone like a peasant

peasants in mocking speech

用法筆記

Strongly insulting and often tied to class prejudice. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense attacks a person's manners or social image, not their real job.

常見錯誤

❌The peasants in the village grew rice and beans.
✅The farmers in the village grew rice and beans.
💡sense 2 is an insult, so it is wrong if you only mean people who farm.
❌My classmate is a peasant because her family is poor.
✅My classmate comes from a poor family.
💡calling someone 'a peasant' is offensive and judges the person, not just their income.