I. ˈfyüd ə l adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin feodalis, feudalis, from feodum, feudum + Latin -alis -al
1.
a. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a feud or fief : founded upon or involving the relation of lord and vassal with tenure of land in feud
feudal rights and services
feudal tenure
feudal polity
— distinguished from domanial
b. : of, existing in, characterized by, or relating to the feudal system
the feudal era
his feudal lord
the feudal states of medieval Europe
a volume of feudal studies
c. : of feudal times
ruins of a feudal castle
a map of feudal England
2. : resembling that of a medieval lord in imperiousness or impressiveness : characterized by a grand style or manner
lived in almost feudal ease among devoted retainers and entertained with a lavish hand — A.C.Cole
: imposing
owner of the … railroad had built his feudal castle — Harrison Smith
3.
a. : marked by or upholding the domination of a privileged class : oligarchic
replace the feudal bureaucracy with an equitable civil service
strongly feudal by instinct, he led the opposition to … demands for equal electoral privileges — Andrew Boyle
specifically : controlled absolutely by and for the benefit of an individual or small group (as of landowners)
the Arab governments, representing largely feudal societies in which the masses are incredibly poor — Peter Allen
textile-mill towns are feudal empires with their own stores … courts … police, and jails — Lawrence Lader
b. : of, belonging to, or constituting a ruling class
the feudal bourgeois type … represented a coalition of the army, the bureaucracy, and the owners of the large estates and factories for the joint exploitation of the state — Franz Neumann
specifically : ruling absolutely within a limited domain
the last survivor of the feudal tribal chieftains — Robert Payne
4. : of or marked by division into independent often absolutely ruled domains
where no central government has replaced the feudal structure of tribal society
5. : characterized by reciprocal and contractual relations between members (as of a society)
monarchical and democratic societies, feudal or caste-divided ones, priest-ridden and relatively irreligious ones … evolve — A.L.Kroeber
II. adjective
Etymology: feud (I) + -al
: of, associated with, or engaged in a retaliatory or competitive feud
feudal hatred
the man who rescued a feudal enemy — Emporia (Kans.) Gazette