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• confederation
  confederation

  noun

  the act of confederating.
• Confederation
  Confederation

  noun

  history the original 13 states of the United States of America constituted under the Articles of Confederation and superseded by the more formal union established in 1789

confederation

American  

[kuhn-fed-uh-ray-shuhn] / kənˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. 

   the act of confederating.

2. the state of being confederated.

3. a league or alliance.

   Synonyms:

   federation, coalition

4. a group of confederates, especially of states more or less permanently united for common purposes.

5. the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781–89.

6. (initial capital letter) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.

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confederation ¹ British  

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of confederating or the state of being confederated

2. a loose alliance of political units. The union of the Swiss cantons is the oldest surviving confederation Compare federation

3. (esp in Canada) another name for federation

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Confederation ² British  

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. history the original 13 states of the United States of America constituted under the Articles of Confederation and superseded by the more formal union established in 1789

2. the federation of Canada, formed with four original provinces in 1867 and since joined by eight more

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confederation Cultural  

1. A group of nations or states, or a government encompassing several states or political divisions, in which the component states retain considerable independence. The members of a confederation often delegate only a few powers to the central authority.

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Synonym Usage

See alliance.

Discover More

Canada is officially a confederation of provinces.

The United States was governed as a confederation in the first few years of its independence (see Articles of Confederation).

Other Word Forms

• anticonfederationism
  noun
• anticonfederationist
  noun
• confederationism
  noun
• confederationist
  noun
• nonconfederation
  noun
• confederative
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of confederation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin confoederātiō “agreement,” from confoederāt(us) “united” (past participle of confoederāre “to unite in a league”; see confederate) + -iō -ion

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Explanation

When a group of people or nations form an alliance, it is called a confederation, allowing each member to govern itself but agreeing to work together for common causes. Perhaps the best-known confederation was the South during the U.S. Civil War. The noun confederation comes from the early 15th Century, meaning “an agreement.” Confederation is similar to the word "federation," but with important differences. Whereas a federation has a strong central government, a confederation is more of an agreement between separate bodies to cooperate with each other. The European alliance could be called a confederation, while the United States is a federation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confederation Confederation

“We’re almost like a loose confederation of small specialty stores, and I think that creates such a rich culture for us,” Mahady said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The confederation described both appointments as an unprecedented event for the region.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

But getting the necessary 19 of 36 confederation and football association heads to support it has proven to be exceptionally difficult.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Conmebol, the South American confederation, said on Thursday it would not support "any action or procedure that disregards" Fifa's mechanisms before the presidential election.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Merger under the threat of external force is well illustrated by the formation of the Cherokee Indian confederation in the U.S.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Land prices have risen by an average of "more than 45 percent" since the city unveiled its development plans, said E. Ashok Kumar, Visakhapatnam head of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Under the pre-Constitution Articles of Confederation, states engaged in predatory behavior as they sought commercial advantage over other states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The letter was signed by executives representing businesses with more than 8,600 direct employees, alongside the Confederation of British Metalforming, which represents about 75,000 workers.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The letter was signed by executives representing businesses with more than 8,600 direct employees, alongside the Confederation of British Metal Forming, which represents about 75,000 workers.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Tarun Das was heading the Confederation of Indian Industry when the wall fell in Berlin, and he saw its ripple effect felt all the way to India.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

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