subimperialism
/sʌb.ɪmˈpɪ.ɹi.əˌlɪ.zəm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
7
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A form of imperialism (“policy of forcefully extending a nation's authority by territorial gain or by the establishment of economic and political dominance over other nations”) which is subordinate to another imperialist power.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The revolt against "imperialism" has engendered a number of "subimperialisms." Egypt has ambitious plans of expansion which include the annexation of the Sudan and the suppression of Israel. India is determined to retain possession of Kashmir (the cause of ineradicable antagonism between her and Pakistan) and to annex the Portuguese territory (territory, not colony) of Goa."
- "Behind each experiment there was an important element of ‘sub-imperialism’. In West Africa, the Lagos merchants and Government became entangled in the Yoruba region. Sierra Leonians became involved in the northern rivers and some even looked to the interior of Soudan."
- "And the situation is further complicated by the nascent or sub-imperialisms of the Indians and the Chinese, as shown for example by the dispute over Indonesian actions against Chinese traders."
- "The indications of Brazil's growing influence in Latin America, described in detail in this Report, have prompted a debate on the question of "subimperialism," the term commonly used to characterize Brazil's continental role."
- "The other [new force] was Cecil Rhodes' unlimited expansion to the north, a 'personal' sub-imperialism far transcending the traditional Cape goal of local paramountcy, but yet serving it: […]"
- "At this point, the French president [Valéry Giscard d'Estaing] took upon himself a well-known role that others before him, including [Adolf] Hitler, had already claimed—that of lawful defender of the so-called Western civilization. […] In fact, it is merely a question of French subimperialism being obliged to show a side it would prefer to keep hidden—its militaristic intervention."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /sʌb.ɪmˈpɪ.ɹi.əˌlɪ.zəm/
- British English: /sʌb.ɪmˈpɪə.ɹi.ə.lɪ.z(ə)m/