imperialism

noun

im·​pe·​ri·​al·​ism im-ˈpir-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm 

1

see usage paragraph below : the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas

… late nineteenth-century imperialism was constituted through and legitimized by a set of complex discourses that exoticized others and positioned European states as better than and often obligated to "assist" those others through political, cultural, and economic interventions.

—Mona Domosh

… World War II, when powers like the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands were looking at the end of their globe-spanning empires, while simultaneously seeing the expansion of imperialism in countries like Japan.

—George Yang

broadly : the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence

… as the Hollywood movies had already proved, American cultural imperialism was not only too big to fight, it was too seductive to ignore.

—Clive James

2

: imperial government, power, or authority: an imperial system

ancient Roman imperialism

imperialist

im-ˈpir-ē-ə-list 

noun or adjective

imperialistic

im-ˌpir-ē-ə-ˈli-stik 

adjective

imperialistically

im-ˌpir-ē-ə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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.

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Linguistic Roots of Imperialism

The original meaning of imperialism was a simple one: "imperial government," that is, empire in the classical sense (such as existed in ancient Rome, China, and Greece). In more recent times, imperialism has become synonymous with western hegemony in Africa and Asia from the 18th through the 20th centuries and with the spreading cultural influence of the United States. Formerly implying military and governmental dominance, the word today is often invoked in a wider variety of contexts, such as cultural imperialism, media imperialism, and economic imperialism. And while there has been considerable debate about the net effects of western dominance in other parts of the world, in its current use, imperialism often carries a negative connotation.

Examples of imperialism in a Sentence

British imperialism created the enormous British Empire.

Recent Examples on the Web

People who live in Vietnam, however, are more likely to view it as a symbol of American imperialism, and as nationalistic sentiment here has swelled in recent years, evoking the Golden State has become a shorthand of sorts to criticize those opponents. —Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025

Absorbed by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, and occupied for nearly 50 years (until 1991), the three Baltic states—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—understand Russian imperialism better than almost anyone except maybe Ukraine. —Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025

Chinese military officials and propagandists have even floated threats to U.S. territories such as Guam and Hawaii, portraying them as relics of Western imperialism. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2025

The novel it’s based on is supposed to be pro-fascist, but the movie is a critique of fascism and ultra-nationalism and patriotism and war, imperialism, all that. —Nic Juarez, Vulture, 12 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

imperial entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing imperialism

• anti-imperialism

Rhymes for imperialism

• absolutism
• adventurism
• aestheticism
• africanism
• agnosticism
• alcoholism
• anabolism
• anachronism
• anglicanism
• antagonism
• arianism
• asceticism

Kids Definition

imperialism

noun

im·​pe·​ri·​al·​ism im-ˈpir-ē-ə-ˌliz-əm 

: the actions by which one nation is able to control other usually smaller or weaker nations

imperialist

-ē-ə-ləst 

noun or adjective

imperialistic

im-ˌpir-ē-ə-ˈlis-tik 

adjective

imperialistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb