as in dominion
controlling power or influence over others
a nation whose economic imperium waned after the war
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Recent Examples of imperium
Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him.
—
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium.
—Mike Coté, National Review, 20 July 2025
Nintendo has built a reputation on its willingness to catch fans off-guard, and a shutterbug adventure was the last thing anyone expected at the zenith of Pokemon’s imperium.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Poland, through a protest movement, led the liberation of Europe from the Soviet imperium, culminating with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 5 May 2024
Even the Commonwealth—long a convenient way to sustain a more symbolic form of cultural imperium—has lost much of its meaning.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium.
—Mike Coté, National Review, 20 July 2025
Nintendo has built a reputation on its willingness to catch fans off-guard, and a shutterbug adventure was the last thing anyone expected at the zenith of Pokemon’s imperium.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Poland, through a protest movement, led the liberation of Europe from the Soviet imperium, culminating with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 5 May 2024
Even the Commonwealth—long a convenient way to sustain a more symbolic form of cultural imperium—has lost much of its meaning.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperium
Noun
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This was clearly outside the purview of the colonizer, who saw land as a resource held under his dominion.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
22 Apr. 2026
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For China, bringing Taiwan under its dominion would break through that barrier and expand its military reach.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 2026 Oscars marked the end of a nearly year-old chapter full of global domination for the film.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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There’s outperformance, and then there’s what Technology has done versus the rest of the market over the last six weeks — complete domination.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
Noun
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By finding your allies, defining the goals and determining working integration states, any IT department can successfully migrate its IT and improve its digital sovereignty.—
Kevin Korte,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Previous statements doubting Venezuela’s sovereignty over the past 25 years have been met with immediate derision from senior government officials, including the president.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Traits once seen as stabilizing — empathy, humility, shame — are recast as liabilities in a world that prizes speed, dominance and certainty.—
Sarah DaVanzo,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
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Just steer away from turning every disagreement into a battle for dominance.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
However ties have improved recently as the White House looks to reassert US regional supremacy and increase its access to rare earths.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
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To make matters worse, the introduction of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card in mid-2016 posed a big threat to the supremacy of the Platinum Card, then sorely in need of a refresh.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperium. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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