Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bonsai army

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.79 in modern English

Syllables: bon-sai army
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sovereign state's army or military force that is too small to fundamentally protect the country, and could be considered to exist merely "for decoration".

noun

A tiny, largely-ornamental (military) structure bereft of the capability to effectively carry out its constitutional missions.

noun

A military that covers the entire spectrum of capabilities, but has virtually no external military clout.

Example Sentences

"Without Soviet support surrounding the missile crisis, Cuba's military would have been merely a bonsai army and they would have quickly succumbed to any serious invasion from the west."

Etymology

In reference to the small size and decorative nature of bonsai plants.

Inflected Forms

bonsai armies (plural)

Questions

What does bonsai army mean?: A sovereign state's army or military force that is too small to fundamentally protect the country, and could be considered to exist merely "for decoration".
Where does bonsai army come from?: In reference to the small size and decorative nature of bonsai plants.

How to pronounce bonsai army

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