confederacy

[ kuhn-fed-er-uh-see, -fed-ruh-see ]

/ kənˈfɛd ər ə si, -ˈfɛd rə si /

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See synonyms for confederacy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural con·fed·er·a·cies.

an alliance between persons, parties, states, etc., for some purpose.

a group of persons, parties, states, etc., united by such a confederacy.

a combination of persons for unlawful purposes; conspiracy.

the Confederacy. Confederate States of America.

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Origin of confederacy

1350–1400; Middle English confederacie<Anglo-French; see confederate, -acy

Words nearby confederacy

confectionary, confectioner, confectioners' sugar, confectionery, confed., confederacy, confederal, confederate, Confederate jasmine, Confederate Memorial Day, Confederate States of America

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use confederacy in a sentence

Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, summed up the Southern attitude in his 1861 Cornerstone Speech.
Steve Scalise Shows There’s a Fine Line Between Confederate & Southern|Lloyd Green|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They severed the last railroad lifeline into Atlanta, making the Citadel of the Confederacy as it was touted no longer tenable.
Atlanta’s Fall Foretold The End Of Civil War Bloodshed|Marc Wortman|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it is a situation impossible to brush under the carpet because the Confederacy transformed the Union.
One U.S. Constitution Just Wasn’t Enough|Tom Arnold-Forster|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But that bold suggestion went nowhere with the politicians, who stalled until the idea, along with the Confederacy, was dead.
How I Learned to Hate Robert E. Lee|Christopher Dickey|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

While the dream of the Confederacy was kept alive, the men on the battlefield on both sides perished by the tens of thousands.
How I Learned to Hate Robert E. Lee|Christopher Dickey|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were ready to adopt the most energetic measures to repel the interference of this armed confederacy.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
The major objective of the Federal government became a clearcut one, namely, to capture Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
The magnificent courage and fervor of the Virginians as members of the Confederacy will always be cherished by posterity.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
They relate to the culpable remissness of these Knoxville leaders in failing to volunteer in the cause of the Confederacy.
Portrait and Biography of Parson Brownlow, The Tennessee Patriot|William Gannaway Brownlow
And this is the boasted liberty of the press in the Southern Confederacy!
Portrait and Biography of Parson Brownlow, The Tennessee Patriot|William Gannaway Brownlow

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (1 of 2)

confederacy

/ (kənˈfɛdərəsɪ, -ˈfɛdrəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

a union or combination of peoples, states, etc; alliance; league

a combination of groups or individuals for unlawful purposes

Derived forms of confederacy

confederal, adjective

Word Origin for confederacy

C14: from Anglo-French confederacie, from Late Latin confoederātiō agreement, confederation

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (2 of 2)

Confederacy

/ (kənˈfɛdərəsɪ, -ˈfɛdrəsɪ) /

noun

the Confederacy another name for Confederate States of America

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for confederacy

Confederacy

The Confederate States of America; the government formed in 1861 by southern states that proclaimed their secession from the United States. Jefferson Davis was its president. The Confederacy was dissolved after the Civil War. (Compare Union.)

confederacy

noun, plural con·fed·er·a·cies.

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Origin of confederacy

Words nearby confederacy

Words related to confederacy

How to use confederacy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (1 of 2)

noun plural -cies

Derived forms of confederacy

Word Origin for confederacy

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (2 of 2)

noun

Cultural definitions for confederacy