noun · 5 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
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General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 M P IH1 R IY0 AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The policy of forcefully extending a nation's authority by territorial gain or by the establishment of economic and political dominance over other nations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any undue extension of political, intellectual, or other forms of authority, particularly in regards to systems that benefit the Western world at the cost of the Global South.
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
any instance of aggressive extension of authority
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: control
4
noun
Meaning 4
a political orientation that advocates imperial interests
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: political orientation, ideology, political theory
5
noun
Meaning 5
a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: foreign policy
Narrower terms: manifest destiny
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English imperial Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English imperialism From imperial + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
86 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Albanian:
imperializëm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Arabic:
إِمْبِرْيَالِيَّة
(ʔimbiryāliyya)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Arabic:
اِسْتِعْمَارِيَّة
(istiʕmāriyya)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Armenian:
իմպերիալիզմ
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Armenian:
կայսերապաշտություն
(kayserapaštutʻyun)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Asturian:
imperialismu
— the policy of extending power, by force
Azerbaijani:
imperializm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Azerbaijani:
империализм
— the policy of extending power, by force
Belarusian:
імперыялі́зм
(impjeryjalízm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Belarusian:
імпэрыялі́зм
(imperyjalízm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Bengali:
সাম্রাজ্যবাদ
(śamrajjobad)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Bulgarian:
империали́зъм
(imperialízǎm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Burmese:
နယ်ချဲ့ဝါဒ
(naihkyai.wada.)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Catalan:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Chinese Cantonese:
帝國主義 /帝国主义
(dai3 gwok3 zyu2 ji6)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Chinese:
帝國主義 /帝国主义
(tè-kok-chú-gī)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Chinese Mandarin:
帝國主義 /帝国主义
(dìguózhǔyì)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Czech:
imperialismus
— the policy of extending power, by force
Danish:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Dutch:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Estonian:
imperialism
— the policy of extending power, by force
Finnish:
imperialismi
— the policy of extending power, by force
French:
impérialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Galician:
imperialismo
— the policy of extending power, by force
Georgian:
იმპერიალიზმი
(imṗerializmi)
— the policy of extending power, by force
German:
Imperialismus
— the policy of extending power, by force
Greek:
ιμπεριαλισμός
(imperialismós)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Hebrew:
אִימְפֶּרְיָאלִיזְם
(imperyalízem)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Hindi:
साम्राज्यवाद
(sāmrājyavād)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Hungarian:
imperializmus
— the policy of extending power, by force
Icelandic:
heimsvaldastefna
— the policy of extending power, by force
Icelandic:
imperíalismi
— the policy of extending power, by force
Indonesian:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Irish:
impiriúlachas
— the policy of extending power, by force
Italian:
imperialismo
— the policy of extending power, by force
Japanese:
帝国主義
(teikokushugi)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Kazakh:
империализм
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Khmer:
លទ្ធិចក្រពត្តិនិយម
(latthiʼ cakkraʼpŏət niyum)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Khmer:
ចក្រពត្តិនិយម
(cakkraʼpŏət niyum)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Korean:
제국주의
(jegukjuui)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Northern Kurdish:
emperyalîzm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Kyrgyz:
империализм
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Lao:
ລັດທິຈັກກະພັດນິຍົມ
(lat thi chak ka phat ni nyom)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Lao:
ຈັກກະພັດນິຍົມ
(chak ka phat ni nyom)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Latin:
imperialismus
— the policy of extending power, by force
Latvian:
imperiālisms
— the policy of extending power, by force
Lithuanian:
imperializmas
— the policy of extending power, by force
Macedonian:
империјали́зам
(imperijalízam)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Maltese:
imperjaliżmu
— the policy of extending power, by force
Mongolian:
империализм
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Mongolian:
эзэрхэг түрэмгий
(ezerxeg türemgii)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Mongolian:
ᠢᠮᠫᠧᠷᠢᠶᠠᠯᠢᠰᠮ
(impēriyalism)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Mongolian:
ᠡᠵᠡᠷᠬᠡᠭ᠌ ᠲᠦᠷᠢᠮᠡᠭᠡᠶ
(eǰerkeg türimegey)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Norwegian Bokmål:
imperialisme
— the policy of extending power, by force
Pashto:
سامراج
(sāmrãj)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Pashto:
امپرياليزم
(imparyalízǝm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Iranian Persian:
اَمْپِرْیالیسْم
(amperyâlism)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Polish:
imperializm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Portuguese:
imperialismo
— the policy of extending power, by force
Punjabi:
ਸਾਮਰਾਜਵਾਦ
(sāmrājavād)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Romanian:
imperialism
— the policy of extending power, by force
Russian:
империали́зм
(imperialízm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Serbo-Croatian:
империјалѝзам
— the policy of extending power, by force
Serbo-Croatian:
imperijalìzam
— the policy of extending power, by force
Slovak:
imperializmus
— the policy of extending power, by force
Slovene:
imperializem
— the policy of extending power, by force
Spanish:
imperialismo
— the policy of extending power, by force
Swahili:
ubeberu
— the policy of extending power, by force
Swedish:
imperialism
— the policy of extending power, by force
Tagalog:
imperyalismo
— the policy of extending power, by force
Tajik:
империализм
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Tatar:
империализм
(imperiyalizm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Thai:
ลัทธิจักรวรรดินิยม
(lát-tí-jàk-grà-wàt-ní-yom)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Thai:
จักรวรรดินิยม
(jàk-grà-wàt-ní-yom)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Turkish:
emperyalizm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Turkmen:
imperializm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Ukrainian:
імперіалі́зм
(imperialízm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Urdu:
سامْراجِیَت
(sāmrājiyat)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Uyghur:
ئىمپېرىيالىزم
(impëriyalizm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Uyghur:
جاھانئگىرلىك
(jahan'girlik)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Uzbek:
imperializm
— the policy of extending power, by force
Uzbek:
империализм
(imperializm)
— the policy of extending power, by force
Vietnamese:
chủ nghĩa đế quốc
— the policy of extending power, by force
Welsh:
imperialaeth
— the policy of extending power, by force
Yiddish:
אימפּעריאַליזם
(imperyalizm)
— the policy of extending power, by force