Meaning & use
imperialism
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
A policy by which a powerful country seeks to rule or control other lands and peoples, usually by conquest or political pressure.
Grammar: Not used with an or a plural: the history of imperialism.
Patterns
- imperialism in somewhere
- the age of imperialism
European imperialism reshaped the map of Africa in the nineteenth century.
Many historians study how imperialism affected local economies.
The students wrote essays on imperialism in Southeast Asia.
noununcountabledisapproving
The use of economic, cultural or political power to dominate weaker countries without ruling them directly.
Grammar: Often has a modifier: economic imperialism.
Patterns
- economic imperialism
- cultural imperialism
Critics accused the company of economic imperialism in small nations.
Some argue that global media is a form of cultural imperialism.
The treaty was seen as a kind of financial imperialism.
Common combinations
- European imperialism
- European imperialism had lasting effects on trade routes.
- cultural imperialism
- The author warned of cultural imperialism in global entertainment.
- economic imperialism
- Economic imperialism can occur without any army being sent.
- age of imperialism
- The age of imperialism ended for many colonies after 1945.
- resist imperialism
- Independence movements arose to resist imperialism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- colonialism
- Colonialism emphasizes settling and governing colonies, whereas imperialism is broader and includes influence without settlement.
- expansionism
- Expansionism stresses a drive to grow a country's territory, but does not always imply ruling distant peoples.
- empire-building
- Empire-building is a more informal phrase focusing on the process of creating an empire.
Opposites
Word family
- imperial adjective
- relating to an empire or emperor
- imperialist noun
- a supporter or practitioner of imperialism
- imperialistic adjective
- having the attitude of imperialism
- empire noun
- a group of lands ruled by one power
- anti-imperialist adjective
- opposed to imperialism
Commonly confused: imperialism or colonialism?
imperialism vs colonialism
Colonialism specifically involves settlement and control of colonies, while imperialism can include indirect pressure and influence.
Practice
Which term best describes a powerful nation extending its control over distant lands through conquest?
Choose one answer.
Imperialism is the policy of extending control over other territories. Isolationism avoids foreign involvement, pacifism rejects war, and federalism concerns the division of government power.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “imperialism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.