colonialism

American  

[kuh-loh-nee-uh-liz-uhm] / kəˈloʊ ni əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people.

2. the system or policy by which a nation maintains or advocates control or influence over a dependent country, territory, or people.

3. the state or condition of being colonial.

4. an idea, custom, or practice peculiar to a colony.

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colonialism British  

/ kəˈləʊnɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. Also called: imperialism.  the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas

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colonialism Cultural  

1. The control of one nation by “transplanted” people of another nation — often a geographically distant nation that has a different culture and dominant racial or ethnic group. (See ethnicity.)

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Discover More

Control that is economic and cultural, rather than political, is often called neocolonialism.

A classic example of colonialism is the control of India by Britain from the eighteenth century to 1947.

Other Word Forms

• colonialist noun
• colonialistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of colonialism

First recorded in 1850–55; colonial ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

The document also included proposals addressing wealth and income quality, racisim and colonialism in Canada.

From BBC

"Grassroots movements and pressure from international bodies like the UN are the reasons why many countries, some more timidly and some more decisively, have started discussing reparation policies," said Martinez, the researcher into Spanish colonialism.

From BBC

And then, suddenly, Easter Island was exposed to the full fury of 19th-century colonialism.

From The Wall Street Journal

President Macron will also address the conference on Friday, having told the World Economic Forum in Davos last month that now was "not a time for new imperialism or new colonialism".

From BBC

As a young adult in the US, she immersed herself in books on the history of Africa before colonialism, particularly West Africa.

From BBC