PEON Synonyms: 24 Similar and Opposite Words

peon

noun

ˈpē-ˌän

Definition of peon

as in laborer

a person who does very hard or dull work the company had plenty of low-paying positions for people who were content to be peons all their lives

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of peon Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025 Not only does the peon and con man Tom end up refashioning himself as the rich and carefree Dickie, but Highsmith’s novel itself was a retelling of Henry James’s The Ambassadors. — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024 Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not peons but partners. — Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 The powwow features various contests, including powwow singing, dancing, drumming, and peon games, with a total prize money pool of nearly $125,000 for this year’s participants. — Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2024

Recent Examples of Synonyms for peon

Noun

In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
When his son suddenly turns up alive and well, Mark and his psychiatrist wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), realize that the kidnapper accidentally took the child of Ramón (Luis Gerardo Méndez), their housekeeper’s undocumented day-laborer boyfriend.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of laborer

Noun

The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.

— Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of worker

Browse Nearby Words

penury

peon

peonage

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“Peon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peon. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of peon

noun

Example Sentences

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