colonialism

American  

[kuh-loh-nee-uh-liz-uhm] / kəˈloʊ ni əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the control or governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people.

2. the system or policy by which a nation maintains or advocates control or influence over a dependent country, territory, or people.

3. the state or condition of being colonial.

4. an idea, custom, or practice peculiar to a colony.

---

colonialism British  

/ kəˈləʊnɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. Also called: imperialism.  the policy and practice of a power in extending control over weaker peoples or areas

---

colonialism Cultural  

1. The control of one nation by “transplanted” people of another nation — often a geographically distant nation that has a different culture and dominant racial or ethnic group. (See ethnicity.)

---

Discover More

Control that is economic and cultural, rather than political, is often called neocolonialism.

A classic example of colonialism is the control of India by Britain from the eighteenth century to 1947.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• colonialist
  noun
• colonialistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of colonialism

First recorded in 1850–55; colonial ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Explanation

Colonialism has to do with one country exploiting another country by making it into a colony. Which is usually good for the mother country and bad for the colony. Colonialism is a system in which one country creates an empire by taking over other lands and making them into colonies. Colonies don't have power over themselves, and the mother country takes resources and money from the colony. It's not a very fair system, but it's also how the United States got its start: England was really into colonialism and had built a huge empire, until some feisty American patriots decided to rebel.

Example Sentences

Ghana said the Pope's acknowledgment of the "painful history" was significant, at a time the world was having a "deeper reflection" on the effects of slavery and colonialism.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

So do law and economics, which underpinned Western colonialism in sometimes counterintuitive ways.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

In her mind, both “Zama” and “Our Land” come from the same impulse to dissect colonialism.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Mamdani's father is Mahmood Mamdani, a political science professor who has written several books about colonialism.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

The peoples of the corn remain connected in spite of the heavy influences of colonialism.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz