territorialism

American  

[ter-i-tawr-ee-uh-liz-uhm, -tohr-] / ˌtɛr ɪˈtɔr i əˌlɪz əm, -ˈtoʊr- /

noun

1. a principle or system that gives predominance to the landed classes.

2. Also called territorial system.  a theory of church policy according to which the supreme ecclesiastical authority is vested in the civil power.

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territorialism British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəlɪzəm /

noun

1. a social system under which the predominant force in the state is the landed class

2. a former Protestant theory that the civil government has the right to determine the religious beliefs of the subjects of a state

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Other Word Forms

• territorialist noun

Etymology

Origin of territorialism

First recorded in 1870–75; territorial + -ism

Example Sentences

He talks about movies not with a know-it-all territorialism but rather an inclusive camaraderie.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

Living at such close quarters intensifies the lions’ natural territorialism; in this population, the leading cause of death is conflict with other lions.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 5, 2017

Related: Germany's refugee response not guilt-driven, says Wolfgang Schäuble But the biggest problem with territorialism is not polarisation, it is that the concept is deeply flawed.

From The Guardian • Mar. 6, 2016

He and Hubley were living in Hoboken, a town too small for style territorialism.

From Washington Post • Dec. 24, 2014

Additional proof of territorialism in Seaside Sparrows was obtained by identifying and plotting the location of all the marked individuals, which I saw each day while systematically traversing all the available habitat on the island.

From Comparative Breeding Behavior of Ammospiza caudacuta and A. maritima by Woolfenden, Glen E.