as in territories
a small country that is controlled and protected by a larger one
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Recent Examples of protectorates
This misunderstands the nature of modern protectorates, such as Palau or the Marshall Islands.
—
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
With very few exceptions, an end was declared, not only to empires, but also to city-states, duchies, principalities, emirates, sultanates, caliphates, khanates, agencies, princely states, colonies, suzerains, dependencies, mandates, tributaries, condominia and protectorates.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
The British went on to claim regions of the coast and declare them as protectorates.
—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
During the 1830s attempts were made to safeguard Aboriginal peoples by placing them under supervision in protectorates, but these attempts failed and were abandoned after the coming of self-government in the 1850s.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
Barry Scott Zellen,
Hartford Courant,
12 June 2026
With very few exceptions, an end was declared, not only to empires, but also to city-states, duchies, principalities, emirates, sultanates, caliphates, khanates, agencies, princely states, colonies, suzerains, dependencies, mandates, tributaries, condominia and protectorates.
—
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
The British went on to claim regions of the coast and declare them as protectorates.
—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
During the 1830s attempts were made to safeguard Aboriginal peoples by placing them under supervision in protectorates, but these attempts failed and were abandoned after the coming of self-government in the 1850s.
—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for protectorates
Noun
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European streamer SkyShowtime, which is part-owned by Paramount, has it for a raft of territories including several in CEE, Scandinavia as well as Spain and Portugal.
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Following its Berlinale world premiere, Best Friend Forever kicked off sales on the film and has ongoing negotiations across additional territories.
Noun
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Many antique purchases for the store are made through private sales between dealers, but some of Corbett’s favorite and most prized possessions have come from auctions and estate sales.
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Marcus Rashford, who made his first ’26 World Cup start in place of Anthony Gordon on the left wing, lost countless possessions on the ball.
Noun
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The challenge becomes exponentially harder in large, interconnected enterprises where recovery depends on systems, services, sites and other dependencies that are constantly changing.
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These dependencies present supply chain challenges as some of the import sources are located in adversarial or geopolitically unstable nations.
Cite this Entry
“Protectorates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protectorates. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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