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expansionism

expansionism

3 7.5
A policy by a country to gain more land or power
  • noun
  • /ɪkˈspænʃənɪzəm/
translation icon : expansionismo
  • Critics argue that the government's military strategies are a form of expansionism aimed at gaining influence over neighboring regions.
  • Soviet expansionism
  • American expansionism
  • tendency toward expansionism

Of course, a driver of Russian expansionism was also the exploitation of resources.

Examples

  • Saudi Arabia and Bahrain decry Iranian expansionism and fear Tehran's interference in their internal affairs.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Such fears of Soviet power and expansionism continued to dominate the outlook of the new Republican administration.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I do not believe that this expansionism is new or unique to virtual reality.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Of course, a driver of Russian expansionism was also the exploitation of resources.

  • For the United States, concerned about Soviet expansionism, Pakistan's importance rose.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Pathocracy has other internal reasons for pursuing expansionism through the use of all means possible.

    Blog text (2)
  • According to John Lewis Gaddis, the American policy of containing potential Soviet expansionism had three distinct components.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The West must seek to create counterweights to Russia's expansionism and not place all its chips on Russian domestic reform.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Pakistan was hailed during the 1950s as a frontline bulwark against communist expansionism.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The threat posed by Soviet expansionism, though real, was easily exaggerated, spurring periodic bouts of national hysteria.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

imperialism
vsexpansionism
28 8.0

A policy in which a country takes control of other countries, often by taking land or using force

is a policy to expand territory or influence more generally, not only by force
colonialism
vsexpansionism
22 7.4

Control of one country by people from another country who live there and take its resources for profit

is broader, covering influence and power expansion beyond settlement and exploitation
territorialism
vsexpansionism
1 8.4

A political idea to control and expand a country's land and borders

is about extending influence or territory rather than mainly defending existing borders
imperialization
vsexpansionism
9.9

A process when a country takes control of other lands and people

refers to the policy goal of expansion rather than the process itself

Antonyms

isolationism
  • Literature
10 7.7

A country's choice to avoid political and economic contact with other countries

How Expansionist

imperialism
28 8.0
expansionism
3 7.5
restraint
44 3.9
isolationism
  • Literature
10 7.7

Surface Forms

expansionism singular
expansionisms plural

Morphology

expansionism = expansion (transparent) = expansion + ism

Clear derivation from the noun 'expansion' plus the productive suffix '-ism' indicating a doctrine or policy of expanding.

Etymology

Expansionism comes from the verb expand, which means 'to spread out', and the ending -ism, which means 'a belief or policy'. So, expansionism is the idea or policy of a country spreading its land, power, or influence into other places.