noun
Uncommon
confederacy
kuhn-FEH-duh-ruh-see
Confederacy (noun) means an alliance or union of groups, states, or people joined for a common purpose. Example: “The tribes formed a confederacy to defend their shared territory.”
noun
1
An alliance or union of groups, states, or people joined for a common purpose.
"The tribes formed a confederacy to defend their shared territory."
"Historians study how the confederacy balanced power among its member states."
How to use confederacy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA group of states or peoples who band together while each keeps most of its own independence.
Common mistake
Often capitalized as "the Confederacy" to refer specifically to the Confederate States of America during the US Civil War — lowercase "confederacy" is the general term for any such alliance.
Easily confused with
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like confederacy.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- confederacies
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The tribes formed a _____ to defend their shared territory.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman confederacie, from Latin cōnfoederātiō — a doublet of "confederation."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for confederacy
See all rhymes for confederacy →Frequently asked questions
What does “confederacy” mean?
The word “confederacy” means an alliance or union of groups, states, or people joined for a common purpose. In plain terms, a group of states or peoples who band together while each keeps most of its own independence.
How do you pronounce “confederacy”?
“Confederacy” is pronounced kuhn-FEH-duh-ruh-see (/kənˈfɛdəɹəsi/ in IPA).
How do you use “confederacy” in a sentence?
Here is “confederacy” used in a sentence: “The tribes formed a confederacy to defend their shared territory.”
What part of speech is “confederacy”?
“Confederacy” is a noun.
Where does the word “confederacy” come from?
The word “confederacy” comes from Latin. From Anglo-Norman confederacie, from Latin cōnfoederātiō — a doublet of "confederation.".
Is “confederacy” a common word?
“Confederacy” is an uncommon word in modern English.
