neocolonialism
noun
neo·co·lo·nial·ism
ˌnē-ō-kə-ˈlōn-yə-ˌli-zəm 
-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌli-
: the economic and political policies by which a great power indirectly maintains or extends its influence over other areas or people
… wary opponents of neocolonialism are scrupulous about keeping their nonaligned credentials intact.—
The Economist
The EconomistExamples of neocolonialism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump knows it, but still took a stab from his privileged bully pulpit in Switzerland with the zeal of neocolonialism.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Kikuyu Land becomes a deep dive into family history, the legacy of British colonialism, neocolonialism and corporate power, and inherited traumas.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
Trump was misinformed by anarchists and lackeys and apprentices of neocolonialism who aimed to benefit from their seeds of division, divisiveness and discontent.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025
May 1972, twelve years after independence: A student revolution, which caused the fall of President Tsiranana, cleared away the neocolonialism.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 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
Through El Hadji’s obsession with masculinity, Sembène also explores how the patriarchy shaped postcolonial nations by reinforcing neocolonialism.
—Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the dictatorships and the many ways in which neocolonialism and the setting up of a power structure that still oppresses Africans is happening at the moment.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 6 July 2024
Part of what makes neocolonialism so intractable is that, as a state fails, more neocolonialism becomes the only imaginable cure for the ills created by it in the first place.
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
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Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
Kikuyu Land becomes a deep dive into family history, the legacy of British colonialism, neocolonialism and corporate power, and inherited traumas.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Jan. 2026
Trump was misinformed by anarchists and lackeys and apprentices of neocolonialism who aimed to benefit from their seeds of division, divisiveness and discontent.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2025
May 1972, twelve years after independence: A student revolution, which caused the fall of President Tsiranana, cleared away the neocolonialism.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 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
Through El Hadji’s obsession with masculinity, Sembène also explores how the patriarchy shaped postcolonial nations by reinforcing neocolonialism.
—Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the dictatorships and the many ways in which neocolonialism and the setting up of a power structure that still oppresses Africans is happening at the moment.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 6 July 2024
Part of what makes neocolonialism so intractable is that, as a state fails, more neocolonialism becomes the only imaginable cure for the ills created by it in the first place.
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Neocolonialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neocolonialism. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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