colonialism

noun

co·​lo·​nial·​ism kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌli-zəm 

-nyə-ˌli-

plural colonialisms

1

a

see usage paragraph below : domination of a people or area by a foreign state or nation : the practice of extending and maintaining a nation's political and economic control over another people or area

Note: While the word colonialism is sometimes considered to encompass non-state forms of influence and domination, as by corporate or religious entities, in general use it is more typically understood as an extension of state power.

… The United States was a product of colonialism by mass migrations, and it was the colonialists themselves who created the country; India and China were victims of an extractive colonialism that drained away national wealth.

—Manjari Miller

Africa's push for independence from colonialism, which mirrored [Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s] movement for racial equality in America, attracted his support.

—Rodney Muhumuza

While the primary colonial identification for Jamaicans was English, American colonialism was a strong force in my childhood—and of course continues today. We were sent American movies and American music. American aluminum companies had already discovered bauxite on the island and were shipping the ore to their mainland. United Fruit bought our bananas.

—Michelle Cliff

b

: the policy of or belief in acquiring and retaining colonies

We want to discover how that era evolved and how the paternalistic attitude of colonialism manifested itself.

—Chris Vieler-Porter

2

a

old-fashioned : the quality or state of being a colony or of behaving like a colony

A new generation had to come upon the stage before our politics were finally taken out of colonialism and made national and American … . It was the foresight and the courage of [President George] Washington which at the outset placed the United States in their relations with foreign nations on the ground of a firm, independent, and American policy.

—Henry Cabot Lodge

b

somewhat disparaging : something (such as a custom, idea, or idiom) that is characteristic of a colony

Note: Colonialism in this use can refer to something that is learned from the colonizing power or that distinguishes the people of a colony from the colonizing power.

Americans shed their colonialisms one by one, for political colonialism was merely the first to go. … Many Americans still felt inferior to Englishmen in their language, and a strong jolt was necessary to dislodge that last colonialism.

—Allen Walker Read

American lexicographer Noah Webster, in his dictionaries of the early 1800s, "wanted an American language," [John] Taylor said. Webster included such uniquely American words as woodchuck and caucus, which were seen by unapproving British reviewers as "vulgar colonialisms."

—Elizabeth Williams

colonialist

kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-list 

-nyə-list

noun or adjective

Western/European colonialists

colonialistic

kə-ˌlō-nē-ə-ˈli-stik 

-nyə-ˈli-

adjective

Usage of Colonialism and Imperialism

In contexts dealing with the domination of a people or area by a foreign power, colonialism and imperialism are often used together with no real distinction in meaning. Used separately, however, each of these words can take on a slightly different emphasis. Colonialism comes from colony, and tends to be applied in contexts addressing the effects that colonialism has on the lives of those living in colonies. Imperialism is closely related to empire and therefore tends to place more emphasis on the ruling power and its intent to expand its dominion, as well as on the expanded empire itself, with its distinct parts subsumed under the banner of the dominating force.

Examples of colonialism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Advertisement As tech leaders deploy strategies and narratives that echo those of colonialism (read Karen Hao for more), the Congo is once again in the crosshairs, with miners harvesting the cobalt that powers smartphones, computers and electric vehicles in slave-like conditions. —Andrew R. Chow, Time, 26 Sep. 2025

The Fence, adapted from a play by Bernard-Marie Koltès, reunites Denis with actor Isaach de Bankolé and focuses on the legacy of colonialism in Africa, one of her favorite themes to explore. —Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025

King Henry’s laws adamantly forbade chattel slavery, outlawed colonialism, and created an economically robust, financially solvent Black state, one not dependent on the transatlantic slave trade. —Marlene L. Daut september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025

Especially once Israel occupied Arab lands beyond the 1948 borders, the Palestinian struggle was folded into a global fight against colonialism and neocolonialism. —Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see colony

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing colonialism

• settler colonialism

Rhymes for colonialism

• activism
• ageism
• albinism
• altruism
• aneurism
• animism
• aphorism
• atomism
• barbarism
• bolshevism
• botulism
• brahmanism

Kids Definition

colonialism

noun

co·​lo·​nial·​ism kə-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌliz-əm 

-nyə-ˌliz-

: control by one nation over a dependent area or people

also : a policy that favors or is based on such control

colonialist

-ləst 

noun or adjective