confederation

noun

con·​fed·​er·​a·​tion kən-ˌfe-də-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an act of confederating : a state of being confederated : alliance

2

: league

Synonyms of confederation

• confederacy
• federation
• coalition
• union
• alliance
• league

Examples of confederation in a Sentence

the smaller nations were forced to form a confederation out of self-defense

the big-budget movie was produced by the studio in confederation with another in order to lower the risk

Recent Examples on the Web

The most likely replacement scenario would have Iraq, the top non-qualifier from the Asian confederation, taking Iran’s place. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026

How many places are awarded to each continental confederation? —Theo Lloyd-Hughes, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026

The agreement also includes the Concacaf W Champions Cup, the confederation’s premier women’s club competition. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Portugal is in Group K and opens the World Cup against the winner of the Inter-confederation playoff (New Caledonia, Jamaica, Congo) on June 17 in Houston. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for confederation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

confederation

noun

con·​fed·​er·​a·​tion kən-ˌfed-ə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an act of confederating : a state of being confederated : alliance

2

: league entry 2