postcolonial

American  

[pohst-kuh-loh-nee-uhl] / ˌpoʊst kəˈloʊ ni əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the period following a state of colonialism.

---

Etymology

Origin of postcolonial

First recorded in 1930–35; post- + colonial

Explanation

Postcolonial describes the time period after Western nations left the nations they colonized and ruled. After the end of British rule, Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first postcolonial leader. The adjective postcolonial can refer to the specific era following the end of a colonial regime, when a powerful empire that's taken over other lands withdraws from them. It's also used for the project of investigating how people and land have been affected by the colonizer, even years later — there are whole genres of postcolonial literature and art, for instance. Post means "after," and colonial comes from the Latin colonia, "settled land."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

postcolonial

It "pulls off an incredible double feat: it succeeds as both a romance and an incisive postcolonial novel," said Brown.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

It isn’t only in postcolonial countries that many people prefer being governed by people who share their values, culture and economic interests, even if their style of governance is less polished or professional.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Instead, Hyderabad itself was abolished, in 1948, by the postcolonial Republic of India—and with it all dreams of perpetuating the 1,300-year-old caliphal tradition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026

A key figure in postcolonial feminist literature, her work explores themes around gender and immigration.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

By training, Sara is a historian of postcolonial Africa, and her career has been spent as a digital archivist at the Getty Museum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2025