definitions

confederacy

[ kuh n-fed-er-uh-see, -fed-ruh-see ]
/ kənˈfɛd ər ə si, -ˈfɛd rə si /
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SEE MORE 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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RELATED WORDS

compact, league, alliance, federation, government, union, conspiracy, covenant, organization, confederation, bond, anschluss

Nearby words

confectionary, confectioner, confectioners' sugar, confectionery, confed., confederacy, confederal, confederate, confederate jasmine, confederate memorial day, confederate states of america

Origin of confederacy

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

Definition for confederacy (2 of 2)

Confederate States of America

plural noun

the group of 11 Southern states that seceded from the United States in 1860–61.
Also called the Confederacy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for confederacy

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (1 of 3)

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

confederal, adjective

Word Origin for confederacy

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

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (2 of 3)

Confederacy

/ (kənˈfɛdərəsɪ, -ˈfɛdrəsɪ) /

noun

the Confederacy another name for Confederate States of America

British Dictionary definitions for confederacy (3 of 3)

Confederate States of America

pl n

US history the 11 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi) that seceded from the Union in 1861, precipitating a civil war with the North. The Confederacy was defeated in 1865 and the South reincorporated into the US
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

Culture 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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.