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Glite Dictionary
serflike

serflike

9.9
Like a person forced to work for a landowner with little pay and no freedom
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɜrˌflaɪk/
  • Archaic
: siervo
  • The workers endured serflike conditions, with long hours and little pay.

Examples

  • Decades after emancipation, villagers still lived a serflike existence under their landlords.

  • Her serflike obedience annoyed her more independent colleagues.

  • He seems so serflike.

  • Why are you so serflike?

  • Decades after emancipation, villagers still lived a serflike existence under their landlords.

  • The workers endured serflike conditions, with long hours and little pay.

  • Her serflike obedience annoyed her more independent colleagues.

Synonyms

servile
vsserflike
2 8.4

Having to do with slaves or the kind of work they do

is more about being under social subjugation rather than mere obedience
slavelike
vsserflike
  • Offensive
8.2

Being like a person forced to obey and work without freedom

is about being under control and living in servitude rather than just obedient

Antonyms

free
∞ 1.0

Able to act as you want without limits

autonomous
51 6.3

Free to make its own decisions without outside control

How Submissive

serflike
  • Archaic
9.9
submissive
38 5.1
obedient
45 1.0
compliant
31 5.1

Surface Forms

serflike positive

Morphology

serflike = serf (transparent) = serf + like

Formed by the productive suffix '-like' meaning 'having the qualities of', so the meaning is directly derivable from 'serf' + '-like'.

Etymology

Serflike starts with serf, which comes from the Latin word servus meaning 'slave' or 'servant', and it shares the same root as English serve and servant. The ending -like means 'similar to', so serflike means 'similar to a serf', someone who is forced to serve or obey others.