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
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
But our failure to anticipate this most recent spark of dissent is perhaps more understandable; after all, as Xi’s one-party Leninist imperium has gathered momentum, most foreign journalists have been expelled from China.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2022
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
Playing that particular Neil Young tune to represent the American imperium was an insidious selection.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 May 2024
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
But unlike the familiar realm of the Caesars, this imperium doesn’t govern only humans: Talking beasts also live as citizens in the empire.
—Liz Braswell, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2023
Many people in what was formerly East Germany, part of the Soviet imperium until shortly before German unification in 1990, look favorably on Moscow.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
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
But our failure to anticipate this most recent spark of dissent is perhaps more understandable; after all, as Xi’s one-party Leninist imperium has gathered momentum, most foreign journalists have been expelled from China.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2022
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
Playing that particular Neil Young tune to represent the American imperium was an insidious selection.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 May 2024
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
But unlike the familiar realm of the Caesars, this imperium doesn’t govern only humans: Talking beasts also live as citizens in the empire.
—Liz Braswell, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2023
Many people in what was formerly East Germany, part of the Soviet imperium until shortly before German unification in 1990, look favorably on Moscow.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperium
Noun
-
The BIDs have influence over about half of 14th Street; the Union Square folks’ dominion covers First to Sixth Avenues, the Meatpacking group’s from Eighth to the Hudson.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
29 July 2025
-
And yet if history is any guide, Moscow could go to extreme lengths to preserve its regional dominion.—
JEFFREY MANKOFF,
Foreign Affairs,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
The Brewers’ overall domination of the Reds continued, despite the Reds taking the final game of the three-game series.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Yet Tebas’ desire to play games on American soil is exactly the kind of endeavor that makes two-club domination harder to escape.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Paranoia is pure American, older than the Constitution—the northern states, for instance, denounced the three-fifths compromise as a Southern play for dominance.—
Book Marks
August 14,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
-
In the open era, age records have gone down slightly, but still show player dominance past traditional peak years.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Governments are enforcing where training and inference take place, and laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. Take a strategic, proactive approach to prepare for data sovereignty barriers.—
Mark Mahle,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
But Israel's actions significantly undermined international law and further eroded Lebanese sovereignty and credibility.—
Lynn Zovighian,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The achievement of quantum computing, along with the concept of quantum supremacy, may raise significant concerns.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images As the U.S. and China vie for economic, technological and geopolitical supremacy, the critical elements and metals embedded in technology from consumer to industrial and military markets have become a pawn in the wider conflict.—
Bob Woods,
CNBC,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Imperium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperium. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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