Meaning & use
federalism
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Meanings
noununcountablespecialist
A system of government in which a central authority shares power with regional or state governments, each with its own protected responsibilities.
Grammar: No plural; often introduced by 'a system of': a system of federalism.
Patterns
- a system of federalism
- federalism in a country
Federalism in the United States divides power between the national government and the fifty states.
The new constitution was designed around federalism so that no region could dominate the others.
noununcountablespecialist
Support for, or the principle of, joining separate states or regions into one federal union.
Grammar: Used when discussing political ideas and movements rather than one country's structure.
Patterns
- support for federalism
- European federalism
Supporters of European federalism want stronger shared institutions in Brussels.
His book argues that federalism protects small nations better than full political union.
Common combinations
- a system of federalism
- Switzerland's system of federalism gives its cantons wide freedom.
- support federalism
- Several parties support federalism as a way to end the regional conflict.
- the principle of federalism
- The court defended the principle of federalism against the new central law.
Synonyms and how they differ
Opposites
Word family
- federal adjective
- Relating to a central government or to a system where power is shared: federal law, a federal republic.
- federation noun
- A country or group formed by smaller units that keep some self-government, such as a trade union federation.
- federalist noun
- A person who supports federalism or a federal union.
- federate verb
- To join states or organizations into a federation.
- federally adverb
- By or under the central government: federally funded research.
Commonly confused: federalism or feudalism?
federalism vs feudalism
Feudalism is a medieval social system of lords, vassals, and land in exchange for service. Federalism is a modern system of shared government power — similar spelling, very different meaning.
Practice
Canada's ___ gives the provinces control over education while the national government handles defense.
Choose one answer.
Federalism is the system that divides power between central and regional governments, which matches the example. Feudalism is a medieval land-for-service system and is tempting only because of the similar spelling; monarchy and anarchy describe completely different systems.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “federalism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.