separatism

[sep-er-uh-tism]

noun

1. a principle or policy advocating withdrawing or seceding from an established union, such as a church, nation, etc..

   The move toward separatism may become more powerful as the country’s economy melts down.

Word History and Origins

Origin of separatism¹

separat(e) ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

In what is only his second presidential visit to the tightly-controlled region, Xi praised the local government for "engaging in a thorough struggle against separatism" - a reference to decades-old Tibetan resistance to Beijing.

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Polls suggest the Bloc Quebecois, a party advocating for Quebec separatism that only runs candidates in the French-speaking province, is in third place, with the left-leaning New Democratic Party trailing behind in fourth.

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“This may not be the mecca of white separatism, but it is the breeding ground.”

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"They are proud of India's economic transformation since the 1990s and will not be sympathetic to Sikh separatism. Historically, the Liberals have been quite politically successful with the Sikh vote, especially in British Columbia."

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China has used the threat of "violent terrorism, radicalisation and separatism" in the past to justify the mass detention of the country's minority Uyghur population.

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Related Words

• apartheid 
• discrimination