irredentism

noun

ir·​re·​den·​tism ˌir-i-ˈden-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce irredentism (audio)
: a political principle or policy directed toward the incorporation of irredentas within the boundaries of their historically or ethnically related political unit
irredentist noun or adjective

Examples of irredentism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Finding themselves in a vacuum, without an inclusive peace process or strong international engagement, Karabakh Armenians began to shift from a mere push for self-determination to more radical irredentism. Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2023 In a mirror image of the situation of a decade ago, when nationalist Armenians claimed Azerbaijani lands, Azerbaijani irredentism is now rearing its head. Thomas De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2023 This irredentism, as Russian liberals have begun to see, has resulted in unmitigated catastrophe. Casey Michel, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2023 The not-unreasonable perception that post-Soviet Russia was snookered by the West into coughing up too much of the USSR's holdings played a major role in the rise of Putin, whose philosophy includes a strong element of irredentism, the desire to recover national territory. David Faris, The Week, 19 Oct. 2021 The foreign ministries of Romania, Austria and Ukraine — areas of which once belonged to the Hungarian kingdom — accused Orban of irredentism, which is a desire to regain lost territory. Justin Spike, ajc, 24 Nov. 2022 Around the same time, a series of wars and alliances resulted in the unification of Italy, and gave us irredentism. Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2022 Thousands of civilians will die in a conflict that should have been avoided: Ukraine poses no threat to Russia; Putin’s aims spring from undistilled irredentism and colonizer nostalgia. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 2 Mar. 2022 Western course, but welcoming nations that once stood apart from the alliance into the fold has helped prevent everything from Polish authorities attempting to jump-start their own nuclear weapons program to Hungarian irredentism in Romania. Casey Michel, The New Republic, 16 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'irredentism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of irredentism was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near irredentism

Cite this Entry

“Irredentism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irredentism. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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