1. a member of the old Russian aristocracy or nobility, especially before the 17th century
Usage: historical; also spelled boyar

Examples

• The boyards held significant power in medieval Russia before the rise of the Romanov dynasty.
• Peter the Great reduced the influence of the boyards as he modernized the Russian state.
• Wealthy boyards owned vast estates and commanded armies of their own.
• The boyards formed an important social class in Muscovite society.