confederate
confederate Lexical Profile
confederate Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
American Relating to or denoting the Confederacy of southern states that seceded from the United States during the American Civil War (usually capitalized).
"The museum houses a large archive of Confederate correspondence and diplomatic records from the 1860s."
Joined or united by an agreement, treaty, or league.
"The confederate provinces agreed to share trade routes while retaining local autonomy."
• noun
American A supporter or citizen of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (usually capitalized).
"Historians analyzed the letters written by both Unionists and Confederates during the 1860 election."
A person one works with, especially in something secret, illicit, or conspiratorial; an accomplice.
"The magician signaled subtly to a confederate seated in the front row of the audience."
A person, group, or nation united with others in a formal league, alliance, or confederacy.
"The ambassador met with representatives from each of the republic's closest confederates."
• verb
To bring or join together into an alliance, league, or confederacy.
"The neighboring city-states decided to confederate in order to establish a unified trade policy."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a noun or adjective, the word is pronounced with a reduced vowel at the end (/kənˈfɛdərət/), whereas the verb form is pronounced with a full long 'a' sound (/kənˈfɛdəˌreɪt/). In psychology and social science research, a 'confederate' specifically denotes an actor who secretly works with the experimenter while posing as a regular participant.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Late Latin confoederatus, the past participle of confoederare ('to unite by a league'), formed from com- ('together') and foedus ('league, treaty, or covenant').