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. )

Explanation

Colonialism has to do with one country exploiting another country by making it into a colony. Which is usually good for the mother country and bad for the colony. Colonialism is a system in which one country creates an empire by taking over other lands and making them into colonies. Colonies don't have power over themselves, and the mother country takes resources and money from the colony. It's not a very fair system, but it's also how the United States got its start: England was really into colonialism and had built a huge empire, until some feisty American patriots decided to rebel.

Example Sentences

So do law and economics, which underpinned Western colonialism in sometimes counterintuitive ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Gilles Yabi, a Senegal-based political analyst focusing on relations between France and Africa, told the BBC's Newsday programme: "There's a new generation of Africans who… want to turn the page on colonialism and post-colonial influence."

From BBC • May 12, 2026

In her mind, both “Zama” and “Our Land” come from the same impulse to dissect colonialism.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

An Australian billionaire's plan to burn rubbish for energy in Fiji amounts to "waste colonialism" and risks spoiling a "beach paradise", villagers and the Pacific nation's UN ambassador said.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Unlike so many other African states, it had fought colonialism at every turn.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela