Meaning & use
anti-imperialism
Last updated
UK/ˌænti ɪmˈpɪəriəlɪzəm/
US/ˌænti ɪmˈpɪriəlɪzəm/
Meaning
noununcountableformal
Opposition to the practice of one country ruling or controlling other peoples or territories.
Grammar: Used without an article: anti-imperialism grew in the colonies.
Patterns
- anti-imperialism in something
Anti-imperialism shaped the independence movements of the 1950s.
Her essay traces anti-imperialism in early twentieth-century writing.
Anti-imperialism united many different groups in the colony.
Common combinations
- a wave of anti-imperialism
- A wave of anti-imperialism swept the region.
- the rise of anti-imperialism
- Historians study the rise of anti-imperialism.
- anti-imperialism and nationalism
- Anti-imperialism and nationalism often grew together.
- a form of anti-imperialism
- Her poetry is a form of anti-imperialism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anti-colonialism
- Anti-colonialism opposes direct colonial rule, while anti-imperialism also includes indirect economic or political control.
- decolonization
- Decolonization is the process of ending colonies, not the attitude against empire.
- nationalism
- Nationalism emphasizes a nation's identity and interests, which may or may not be directed against empire.
Opposites
Word family
- imperialism noun
- the policy of extending power over others
- anti-imperialist adjective
- opposed to empire
- empire noun
- a group of territories under one ruler
- imperial adjective
- relating to an empire
Commonly confused: anti-imperialism or imperialism?
anti-imperialism vs imperialism
Imperialism is the practice of building empire, the thing that anti-imperialism opposes.
Practice
Anti-imperialism is best described as ___.
Choose one answer.
Anti-imperialism opposes empire. The last option confuses it with history as a subject.
Make it your own
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