imperialist
imperialist Lexical Profile
imperialist Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, characteristic of, or supporting imperialism or the rule of an empire over foreign territories.
"The historian's latest book examines how imperialist policies reshaped trade routes across Southeast Asia."
• noun
A person, nation, or ruler that advocates or practices imperialism, seeking to extend authority by territorial acquisition or by establishing economic and political dominance over other nations.
"Critics in the nineteenth century accused the prime minister of acting as an aggressive imperialist in foreign affairs."
A supporter or partisan of an emperor, empress, or imperial government (such as a supporter of the Holy Roman Emperor or the French Bonapartes).
"During the seventeenth-century conflict, the city's nobility remained staunch imperialists loyal to the Habsburg crown."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Imperial' generally describes anything neutrally associated with an empire or emperor (such as 'imperial architecture' or 'imperial measurements'), whereas 'imperialist' and 'imperialistic' refer specifically—and often pejoratively—to the political ideology or practice of dominating foreign territories.
• Rhymes for imperialist
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 17th century from 'imperial' plus the suffix '-ist', ultimately deriving from the Latin 'imperialis' and 'imperium' (meaning 'command', 'supreme authority', or 'empire').