Meaning & use

federalist

noun·Advanced

A person who supports a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and regional states.

See it in a sentence

During the debate over the Constitution, federalists argued for a strong central government.

As a federalist, she believed states should keep only limited independent power.

A note on using this word

Federalist is often misspelled federlist; the term is especially associated with the American Federalist Party and the Federalist Papers of the 1780s.

Words with a similar meaning

This term is best learned through its definition and examples.

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

anti-federalist

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