student asking question

Whenever I play video games that take time in the medieval age, I think I've heard the word "peasant" more often. Are these words always interchangeable?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Although historically, "peasant" was used to describe people who engaged in subsistence farming to survive, you cannot use this term in the modern context! The meaning of the word has changed, and it is most commonly used to negatively refer to people as being poor, low-class, and ignorant. It would be considered highly offensive if you referred to anyone, not just farmers, as "peasant." Simply using "farmer" is okay, in addition to the terms "grower," "agriculturist," and so on. Ex: I am a corn farmer. Ex: Why did you invite them to our party? They're just peasants and not fit to be here.

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