confederation

[ kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of confederating.
2. the state of being confederated.
3. a league or alliance.

   Synonyms: federation, coalition

4. a group of confederates, especially of states more or less permanently united for common purposes.
5. the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781–89.
6. (initial capital letter) the federation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, formed in 1867 and constituting the Dominion of Canada.

confederation

¹

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of confederating or the state of being confederated
2. a loose alliance of political units. The union of the Swiss cantons is the oldest surviving confederation Compare federation
3. (esp in Canada) another name for federation

Confederation

²

/ kənˌfɛdəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the Confederation
   history the original 13 states of the United States of America constituted under the Articles of Confederation and superseded by the more formal union established in 1789
2. the federation of Canada, formed with four original provinces in 1867 and since joined by eight more

confederation

1. A group of nations or states, or a government encompassing several states or political divisions, in which the component states retain considerable independence. The members of a confederation often delegate only a few powers to the central authority.

Notes

Canada is officially a confederation of provinces.

The United States was governed as a confederation in the first few years of its independence ( see Articles of Confederation ).

Derived Forms

• conˈfederative, adjective
• conˌfederˈationist, noun
• conˌfederˈationˌism, noun

Other Words From

• con·feder·ation·ism noun
• con·feder·ation·ist noun
• anti·con·feder·ation·ism noun
• anti·con·feder·ation·ist noun adjective
• noncon·feder·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confederation¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Late Latin confoederātiō “agreement,” from confoederāt(us) “united” (past participle of confoederāre “to unite in a league”; confederate ) + -iō -ion

Synonym Study

See alliance.

Example Sentences

The last edition of the tournament in 2023 was contested between seven teams from six confederations, with Manchester City winning the trophy.

From BBC

“The document shows Brazil has fulfilled with excellency all the rigid demands of the bidding process,” Brazilian soccer confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues said.

From Seattle Times

The sport’s six regional confederations promised to clean up their acts, too.

From New York Times

Three other teams will qualify in the U-23 Asian Cup, which begins next month, with one more qualifier coming from an Asian-African confederation playoff.

From Los Angeles Times

And with a spot in the confederation’s title game at stake, both teams — as well as the sport — deserved better.

From Los Angeles Times