co-optation
noun
co-op·ta·tion
ˌkō-ˌäp-ˈtä-shən 
: the act or an instance of co-opting something : a taking over or appropriation of something for a new or different purpose
The co-optation of the raised fist as a patriotic symbol …—
Niela Orr
Niela OrrWolfe's shrewd co-optation of hip style in service of a meat-and-potatoes cultural agenda won countless admirers, who hailed him as a brilliant satirist with a voice extravagant as America itself.—Rand Richards Cooper
Rand Richards CooperExamples of co-optation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The epilogue, set at a Venice Biennale in the eighties, then switches to a touristy video format that drives home a point about the kitschy co-optation of art.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
India has used a mix of improvisation, co-optation, and coercion to control the northeast, often betraying its own constitutional values in the process.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The potential for co-optation is clearest in the business sector.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Besides providing a more accurate picture of human behavior, paying more attention to variation can serve as an antidote to the nefarious co-optation of knowledge that feeds the online underbelly of Internet pseudoscience.
—Brooke Scelza, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
Eventually, Putin headed off the nationalist threat through a mix of repression and co-optation.
—Jade McGlynn, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2023
When possible, the Rouhani team appears to prefer co-optation to overcome opposition from interest groups tied to hardliners such as those in the IRGC.
—Alex Vatanka, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016
Intimidation played a role, co-optation played a role.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Kennedy’s co-optation of Black liberation efforts in community health distorts a nuanced history.
—Time, 5 July 2023
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Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
India has used a mix of improvisation, co-optation, and coercion to control the northeast, often betraying its own constitutional values in the process.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The potential for co-optation is clearest in the business sector.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Besides providing a more accurate picture of human behavior, paying more attention to variation can serve as an antidote to the nefarious co-optation of knowledge that feeds the online underbelly of Internet pseudoscience.
—Brooke Scelza, Scientific American, 19 Sep. 2024
Eventually, Putin headed off the nationalist threat through a mix of repression and co-optation.
—Jade McGlynn, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2023
When possible, the Rouhani team appears to prefer co-optation to overcome opposition from interest groups tied to hardliners such as those in the IRGC.
—Alex Vatanka, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016
Intimidation played a role, co-optation played a role.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016
Kennedy’s co-optation of Black liberation efforts in community health distorts a nuanced history.
—Time, 5 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Co-optation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/co-optation. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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