Recent Examples on the Web

The roots of the economic crisis are complicated, but as Hannes Baumann explains in a recent paper, the Lebanese elite has for decades pursued a form of unproductive rentier capitalism. Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, "Can Lebanon be saved?," 6 Aug. 2020

After describing his multiple homes, his yacht, and his private plane, Hanauer argued that the U.S. was at risk of becoming a neo-feudalist rentier society similar to France before the Revolution. Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, "The Ultra-Wealthy Who Argue That They Should Be Paying Higher Taxes," 30 Dec. 2019

However, living in fear is to lose the battle to the neo-luddites and the rentiers reluctant to change the status quo. Anirudh Rastogi, Quartz India, "India must look beyond the narrow definition of bitcoin as a cryptocurrency," 3 Oct. 2019

Decidedly less elite than the rentiers, they were attracted not by the potential to spend disposable income but by the natural canvas the region presented. James Mcauley, Town & Country, "The Tragic, Fascinating History of Santo Sospir," 13 Aug. 2018

Idealistic token buyers speculated that their contributions represented a down payment on a new world of unfettered interpersonal exchange, one free at last from banks and other rentiers. Gideon Lewis-kraus, WIRED, "The Blockchain: A Love Story—And a Horror Story," 18 June 2018

As with other rentier economies, private-sector activity such as construction depends heavily on public spending. Alex Dziadosz, The Atlantic, "The Economic Case Against an Independent Kurdistan," 26 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rentier.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.