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Glite Dictionary
buffer state

buffer state

1 6.8
A small neutral country between two larger rival countries that reduces the risk of war
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌfər steɪt/
translation icon : estado tapón
  • There are Hazara, Pakhtun, Uzbeks, and Tajiks—all areas of neighboring states cobbled together in a manufactured buffer state called "Afghanistan."

It's a kind of buffer state and it's not it's not a situation that that ever was going to be stable in the long term.

Examples

  • Laos serves as a buffer state between Communist Vietnam and capitalist economies in Southeast Asia.

  • Only this, they said, could secure Persia as a buffer state between Bolshevik Russia and British interests in the Middle East and India.

  • 33. The British arrived in the late eighteenth century with hopes of creating a buffer state that would keep Russia out of Afghanistan.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Afghanistan was a buffer state that was stitched together in 1893 by the British.

    Blog text (25)

  • What Deng's comment suggests is that Beijing's ultimate concern in North Korea is not who will be the next Great Leader, but whether the DPRK will remain as a stable and friendly buffer state.

    Academic text (1995)

  • It was King Mahendra who had a consistent policy of keeping Nepal as a buffer state between China and India, leaning towards China, and keeping Western powers' illicit and perverted designs at bay.

    Blog text (31)

  • After the political upheaval, Afghanistan emerged as a buffer state between India and China.

  • Historically, Finland acted as a buffer state between the Soviet Union and Western countries during the Cold War.

Synonyms

buffer country
vsbuffer state
6.8

A small neutral state that lies between two rival powers to reduce conflict

is the same concept but uses a different governmental term

Antonyms

aggressor
53 4.9

A person, group, or country that starts a fight

How Protective

protectorate
  • Specialized
9 9.1
buffer state
1 6.8
neutral
2 4.2

Surface Forms

buffer state singular
buffer states plural

Morphology

buffer + state

The meaning is directly compositional: 'buffer' (something that reduces impact or separates) combined with 'state' (a nation) yields a nation that separates or cushions rival powers. This is a regular semantic combination found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Buffer state comes from the image of a buffer as a soft pad placed between two objects, and a small state standing between two larger countries acts like that pad. So, a buffer state is a small, 'neutral' country that helps 'reduce the chance of fighting' between the bigger neighbors.