Phrase guide

political vacuum

noun · 1 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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1

noun

Meaning 1

A state of relative anarchy compared to neighboring states, often caused by death of the head of state before a successor could be designated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • January 26 2005, The Washington Times Both directly and through their terrorist intermediaries in Lebanon, Iran's ayatollahs have been meddling in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for years. But the death of Yasser Arafat, and the political vacuum that has emerged in the wake of the Palestinian strongman's passing, have laid the groundwork for even greater Iranian infiltration of Palestinian politics.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 政治真空 (zhèngzhì zhēnkōng) — state of relative anarchy
  • Finnish: poliittinen tyhjiö — state of relative anarchy
  • Ukrainian: політичний вакуум (polityčnyj vakuum) — state of relative anarchy