confederation

American  

[kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn] / kənˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of confederating.

2. the state of being confederated.

3. a league or alliance.

   Synonyms:

   federation, coalition

4. a group of confederates, especially of states more or less permanently united for common purposes.

5. the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781–89.

6. (initial capital letter) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.

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confederation ¹ British  

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of confederating or the state of being confederated

2. a loose alliance of political units. The union of the Swiss cantons is the oldest surviving confederation Compare federation

3. (esp in Canada) another name for federation

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Confederation ² British  

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. history the original 13 states of the United States of America constituted under the Articles of Confederation and superseded by the more formal union established in 1789

2. the federation of Canada, formed with four original provinces in 1867 and since joined by eight more

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confederation Cultural  

1. A group of nations or states, or a government encompassing several states or political divisions, in which the component states retain considerable independence. The members of a confederation often delegate only a few powers to the central authority.

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Related Words

See alliance.

Discover More

Canada is officially a confederation of provinces.

The United States was governed as a confederation in the first few years of its independence (see Articles of Confederation).

Other Word Forms

• anticonfederationism noun
• anticonfederationist noun
• confederationism noun
• confederationist noun
• confederative adjective
• nonconfederation noun

Etymology

Origin of confederation

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin confoederātiō “agreement,” from confoederāt(us) “united” (past participle of confoederāre “to unite in a league”; confederate ) + -iō -ion

Explanation

When a group of people or nations form an alliance, it is called a confederation, allowing each member to govern itself but agreeing to work together for common causes. Perhaps the best-known confederation was the South during the U.S. Civil War. The noun confederation comes from the early 15th Century, meaning “an agreement.” Confederation is similar to the word "federation," but with important differences. Whereas a federation has a strong central government, a confederation is more of an agreement between separate bodies to cooperate with each other. The European alliance could be called a confederation, while the United States is a federation.

Example Sentences

“I think the cardinals were looking for three things,” said Alistair Dutton, secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of Catholic humanitarian organizations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

The most likely replacement scenario would have Iraq, the top non-qualifier from the Asian confederation, taking Iran’s place.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

Meanwhile, adding to the whole aura of professionalism, President Trump also didn’t seem entirely certain it was the head of the Swiss confederation on the call.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

Under Switzerland's political system, power is distributed among three levels of the confederation, 26 cantons and then about 2,131 municipalities.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

Merger under the threat of external force is well illustrated by the formation of the Cherokee Indian confederation in the U.S.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond