vassalage
noun
vas·sal·age
ˈva-sə-lij 
1
: a position of subordination or submission (as to a political power)
2
: the state of being a vassal
3
: the homage, fealty, or services due from a vassal
Examples of vassalage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
America’s social contract was that liberty and self-determination was a more powerful engine of human freedom than vassalage and the divine right of kings.
—
TIME,
9 Jan. 2024
Ukrainians want a decent, self-governing society, rather than a vassalage of a tyrannical nation that, while sharing much with them, has never respected them.
—
David Harsanyi,
National Review,
14 Sep. 2023
Trump is trying to use his vertical of vassalage to thwart the electoral system.
—
Masha Gessen,
The New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2020
What’s more, Johnson has insisted that during 2020, the United Kingdom will also negotiate a trade agreement with the United States to prove that the British have escaped European vassalage.
—
David Reynolds,
Foreign Affairs,
8 May 2020
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TIME,
9 Jan. 2024
Ukrainians want a decent, self-governing society, rather than a vassalage of a tyrannical nation that, while sharing much with them, has never respected them.
—
David Harsanyi,
National Review,
14 Sep. 2023
Trump is trying to use his vertical of vassalage to thwart the electoral system.
—
Masha Gessen,
The New Yorker,
5 Nov. 2020
What’s more, Johnson has insisted that during 2020, the United Kingdom will also negotiate a trade agreement with the United States to prove that the British have escaped European vassalage.
—
David Reynolds,
Foreign Affairs,
8 May 2020
Cite this Entry
“Vassalage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vassalage. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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