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Definition of federation

federation

/ˌfɛd.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
fed · er · a · tion

Plural:federations
•
Adjective:federative
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federation Lexical Profile

federation Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A political entity or group of states with a central government but independence in internal affairs.

Example

"The country operates as a federation in which individual provinces manage their own education and healthcare systems."


2

An encompassing organization or association formed by several smaller societies, labor unions, clubs, or governing bodies uniting for a common purpose.

Example

"The national chess federation announced the schedule for this year's championship tournament."


3

The action or process of forming states or organizations into a single centralized union.

Example

"Historians studied the complex negotiations that led to the federation of the six separate colonies."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

In political science, a federation features a strong central government that shares constitutional authority with its constituent states, whereas a confederation is a looser alliance in which the individual member states retain primary sovereignty.

• Rhymes for federation

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from French fédération, from Late Latin foederationem, a noun of action from the verb foederare ('to league together'), which derives from Latin foedus ('covenant, treaty, or league').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Federation. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/federation
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