confederative

American  

[kuhn-fed-uh-rey-tiv, -er-uh-tiv, -fed-ruh-] / kənˈfɛd əˌreɪ tɪv, -ər ə tɪv, -ˈfɛd rə- /

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of a confederation.

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Other Word Forms

• anticonfederative adjective

Etymology

Origin of confederative

First recorded in 1810–20; confederate + -ive

Example Sentences

To allay fears that Gorbachev might be acting as his front man for a resurgent Russia, Yeltsin promised that his gargantuan republic would not dominate any confederative structure.

From Time Magazine Archive

Will there continue to be a need for a confederative President?

From Time Magazine Archive

And the round-table discussions last Thursday between party officials and opposition figures produced a call for a "new relationship" with West Germany based on "confederative structures."

From Time Magazine Archive

We still prefer the term union to confederation, although it is certainly true that certain confederative elements might be used.

From Time Magazine Archive

In default of a confederative system, the several states were held in equilibrium by diplomacy.

From New Italian sketches by Symonds, John Addington