1. having some characteristics of feudalism but not fully feudal in structure
Usage: historical; political science

Examples

• The semifeudal society maintained some traditional hierarchies while adopting new economic practices.
• Many historians describe pre-revolutionary China as a semifeudal system.
• The region’s semifeudal structure combined ancient land ownership patterns with emerging capitalist elements.
• Semifeudal conditions persisted in some rural areas well into the modern era.
• The government sought to transform the semifeudal economy into a fully industrialized one.
• Scholars debate whether the society was truly feudal or merely semifeudal in nature.