banana republic

[ buh-nan-uh ri-puhb-lik ]

noun

, Usually Disparaging.

1. a small, poor country, often reliant on a single export or limited resource, governed by an authoritarian regime and characterized by corruption and economic exploitation by foreign corporations conspiring with local government officials.
2. any exploitative government that functions poorly for its citizenry while disproportionately benefiting a corrupt elite group or individual.

banana republic

noun

1. derogatory.
   a small country, esp in Central America, that is politically unstable and has an economy dominated by foreign interest, usually dependent on one export, such as bananas

Word History and Origins

Origin of banana republic¹

Coined by O. Henry ( def ) in his short-story collection Cabbages and Kings (1904); originally used to describe those agrarian countries of Central America dependent in the early 20th century on foreign investment in fruit exports

Example Sentences

Tropico is the excellent nation-builder game that simulates a Caribbean banana republic during the Cold War.

From The Daily Beast

If those consumers get their hands on some money, they'll move upmarket to Crate and Barrel and Banana Republic.

From The Daily Beast

It's pure banana republic stuff, but American style, done under cover of law and legitimacy.

From The Daily Beast

This time we are back in 1941 and flit from Berlin (“the capital of a banana republic that had run out of bananas”) to Prague.

From The Daily Beast

Opponents said Sarkozy backing his son for the job made France look like a “banana republic.”

From The Daily Beast

They stood now almost facetoface, the width of one pitiful little Banana Republic between them.

From Project Gutenberg

In the constitution of this small, maritime banana republic was a forgotten section that provided for the maintenance of a navy.

From Project Gutenberg

At that time we had a treaty with about every foreign country except Belgium and that banana republic, Anchuria.

From Project Gutenberg