noun

imperialism

ihm-PEER-ree-uh-lih-zm

noun

A policy of extending a country's power over other nations through conquest, control, or economic dominance.

"The novel is a critique of 19th-century European imperialism."

"Imperialism reshaped the map of Africa in the late 1800s."

How to Use Imperialism

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA country expanding its power and influence over other territories or peoples, often by force.

Common pairings

cultural imperialism the age of imperialism anti-imperialism

imperialisms plural

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The novel is a critique of 19th-century European _____.

From imperial + the suffix -ism.

realism idealism socialism vandalism capitalism liberalism surrealism journalism materialism cannibalism nationalism colonialism