imperialism

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

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: imperialism in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Linguistic Roots of imperialism

Definition of imperialism

1 : imperial government, authority, or system

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

union imperialism

—

imperialist

play \im-ˈpir-ē-ə-list\ noun or adjective

—

imperialistic

play \im-ˌpir-ē-ə-ˈli-stik\ adjective

—

imperialistically

play \im-ˌpir-ē-ə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See imperialism defined for English-language learners

See imperialism defined for kids

Examples of imperialism in a Sentence

British imperialism created the enormous British Empire.

Recent Examples of imperialism from the Web

As alternative deciding factors, scholars have offered everything from religion to natural resources, high labor prices to imperialism.

— heather souvaine horn, The New Republic, "A System in Denial," 16 Apr. 2018
British history is marred by imperialism and exploitation.

— The Economist, "Podsnappery and its reverse," 21 June 2018
Short as the individual lyrics are, the howling bill of imperialism is almost unbearable to read more than a few items a time.

— benjamin kunkel, The New Republic, "The partisan world of Pablo Neruda," 2 July 2018
The Iran deal offered the illusion of containing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions while facilitating its imperialism.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Disruption Isn’t Enough," 10 June 2018
Baldwin intended his movie as a satire of U.S. imperialism, and the history of right-wing conspiracy theories reaches much farther back than Tribulation 99.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Chicago Underground Film Festival: Tribulation 99," 7 June 2018
Arab academics, foremost among them Edward Said, a Palestinian, ridiculed him as an agent of American imperialism.

— The Economist, "Bernard Lewis was the doyen of Orientalists," 22 May 2018
Obama could recall Roosevelt’s progressivism while avoiding the Bull Moose’s mixed record on race relations or his support of American imperialism.

— michael patrick cullinane, Smithsonian, "Why Teddy Roosevelt Is Popular On Both Sides of the Political Aisle," 24 Apr. 2018
This was a source of great resentment for ethnic Vietnamese, whose own national identity had been defined by centuries of resistance to Chinese imperialism.

— park macdougald, Daily Intelligencer, "Can America’s Two Tribes Learn to Live Together?," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'imperialism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 net the effects of western dominance in other parts of the world, in its current use, imperialism often carries a negative connotation.

Origin and Etymology of imperialism

¹imperial + -ism

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1684

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

IMPERIALISM Defined for English Language Learners

imperialism

noun

Definition of imperialism for English Language Learners

: a policy or practice by which a country increases its power by gaining control over other areas of the world
: the effect that a powerful country or group of countries has in changing or influencing the way people live in other, poorer countries