noun
confederation
kuhn-feh-duh-RAY-shuhn
noun
1
A union of states or organizations that keep their own independence while cooperating on shared matters.
"The confederation allowed each member country to keep its own laws."
"Switzerland is officially known as a confederation."
How to Use Confederation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA loose alliance of states that cooperate but stay mostly independent.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a confederation of states
form a confederation
Word Forms
confederations plural
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The _____ allowed each member country to keep its own laws.
Etymology
From Middle French confédération, from Latin cōnfoederātiō — a doublet of "confederacy."