Standard Lemma guide

confederacy

name · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈfɛdəɹəsi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N F EH1 D ER0 AH0 S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: K AH0 N F EH1 D R AH0 S IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

The collection of American states that seceded from the United States in 1860–61, and fought against the Union in the American Civil War.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An alliance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A state where the sovereign constituent units delegate their authority to the centre.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confederation

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Specifically, an instance of a decentralized governing structure among the indigenous peoples of North America.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The Blackfoot, Iroquois, and Sioux peoples all were governed as confederacies. There were also multi-ethnic confederacies, such as the Iron Confederacy made up of the Plains Cree, Assiniboine, Stoney, and Saulteaux.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conspiracy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: agreement, understanding

Narrower terms: conspiracy of silence

6

noun

Meaning 6

a group of conspirators banded together to achieve some harmful or illegal purpose

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conspiracy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: set, circle, band, lot

7

noun

Meaning 7

a union of political organizations

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: confederation, federation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: union

Narrower terms: nation, Creek Confederacy, Hanseatic League

8

noun

Meaning 8

the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Confederate States, Confederate States of America, South, Dixie, Dixieland

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: geographical area, geographic area, geographical region, geographic region

History

Etymology

From Middle English confederacie, from Anglo-Norman confederacie, from Latin cōnfoederātiō. Doublet of confederation.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: Confédération — Confederate States of America
  • German: Konföderation — Confederate States of America
  • Irish: an Chónaidhm — Confederate States of America
  • Polish: Konfederacja — Confederate States of America
  • Catalan: confederació — an alliance
  • Danish: konføderation — an alliance
  • French: confédération — an alliance
  • German: Konföderation — an alliance
  • Italian: confederazione — an alliance
  • Polish: konfederacja — an alliance
  • Portuguese: confederação — an alliance
  • Romanian: confederație — an alliance
  • Spanish: confederación — an alliance
Real reading context

confederacy in complete knowledge articles