confederate
adjective
united in a league, alliance, or conspiracy.
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confederate
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Confederate
Confederateadjectiveof, supporting, or relating to the Confederate States of America
confederate
American
[kuhn-fed-er-it, -fed-rit, kuhn-fed-uh-reyt]
/ kənˈfɛd ər ɪt, -ˈfɛd rɪt, kənˈfɛd əˌreɪt /
adjective
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united in a league, alliance, or conspiracy.
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(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Confederate States of America.
the Confederate army.
noun
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a person, group, nation, etc., united with others in a confederacy; an ally.
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an accomplice, especially in a mischievous or criminal act.
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(initial capital letter) a supporter of the Confederate States of America.
verb (used with or without object)
confederated,
confederating
confederate
1
British
noun
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a nation, state, or individual that is part of a confederacy
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someone who is part of a conspiracy; accomplice
adjective
verb
Confederate
2
British
/ -ˈfɛdrɪt, kənˈfɛdərɪt /
adjective
noun
Confederate
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of confederate
1350–1400; Middle English confederat < Late Latin confoederātus (past participle of confoederāre to unite in a league), equivalent to con- con- + foeder- (stem of foedus ) treaty ( see fidelity) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
A confederate is an ally — someone who's on your side. Your brother, the artist, might be your only confederate in your goal of studying modern dance in Paris this summer. A confederate is anyone who supports you and works toward the same goal with you. When it is used in the context of government or politics, it means "united by a treaty," like two countries that have joined forces against a third. When the first letter is capitalized, Confederate refers to the southern United States during the Civil War, which were confederates in their fight to secede from the rest of the country.
Vocabulary lists containing confederate
Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception
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"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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Workshop 4, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The younger Mr. Landrieu confronted the nation’s history of racism himself when he spearheaded the removal of four confederate monuments in New Orleans in 2017.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2022
The first march I ever attended was a protest in January 2000, to bring down the confederate flag from the top of the South Carolina State House.
From Salon • Jul. 4, 2022
The bombastic Mayor Shinn of Jefferson Mays and overdecorated Mrs. Shinn of Jayne Houdyshell are turned into veritable sight gags; Shuler Hensley’s Marcellus, Hill’s confederate, is made to appear a witless errand boy.
From Washington Post • Feb. 11, 2022
For example, in the “door holding” experiment, a white or Black confederate followed students as they entered a campus building.
From Scientific American • Sep. 21, 2021
As the young men tried to squeeze by, the confederate looked up, annoyed.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
