warlordism

American  

[wawr-lawrd-iz-uhm] / ˈwɔrˌlɔrdˌɪz əm /

noun

1. rule or control by a warlord or warlords, either as the sole government or in opposition to the official government.

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Example Sentences

He represents warlordism in a business suit instead of a thawb.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025

But in the longer term, if they become too strong, they could produce a new era of warlordism.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2022

He said that Somalia has been moving beyond the mayhem, despair and warlordism that once made it one of Africa’s most dysfunctional countries.

From New York Times • May 5, 2015

But the issue is delicate to many who fear that such experiments could lead Afghanistan further into warlordism and out-of-control militias.

From Washington Post • Jul. 10, 2010

Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, giving rise to a state of warlordism that spawned the Taliban in the early 1990s.

From The 2002 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency