neocolonialism
noun
neo·co·lo·nial·ism
ˌnē-ō-kə-ˈlōn-yə-ˌli-zəm 
-ˈlō-nē-ə-ˌli-
: the economic and political policies by which a great power indirectly maintains or extends its influence over other areas or people
… wary opponents of neocolonialism are scrupulous about keeping their nonaligned credentials intact.—
The Economist
The EconomistExamples of neocolonialism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the dictatorships and the many ways in which neocolonialism and the setting up of a power structure that still oppresses Africans is happening at the moment.
—Sean Illing, Vox, 6 July 2024
Part of what makes neocolonialism so intractable is that, as a state fails, more neocolonialism becomes the only imaginable cure for the ills created by it in the first place.
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
Critics of the International Criminal Court contend that its attempts to prosecute African leaders such as Uhuru Kenyatta, the former president of Kenya, or Omar al-Bashir, the former president of Sudan, smacked of neocolonialism.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
How does a shadow state like Haiti achieve decolonization from neocolonialism?
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Putin devoted a large chunk of his 40-minute speech to what has become a familiar litany of complaints against the West, accusing the U.S. of neocolonialism and decadeslong efforts at sabotage to dismember the Russian state.
—Alan Cullison, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
The initiative has been criticized as a form of neocolonialism: hooking up countries, particularly in Africa, to high-interest loans that leave them beholden to Chinese investment.
—WIRED, 27 Sep. 2022
The title track is a rousing seven-and-a-half-minute broadside against neocolonialism in Niger.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2021
What Far Cry 6 serves up is neocolonialism and cultural appropriation—with a wink.
—Phillip Penix-Tadsen, Wired, 9 Oct. 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sean Illing, Vox, 6 July 2024
Part of what makes neocolonialism so intractable is that, as a state fails, more neocolonialism becomes the only imaginable cure for the ills created by it in the first place.
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
Critics of the International Criminal Court contend that its attempts to prosecute African leaders such as Uhuru Kenyatta, the former president of Kenya, or Omar al-Bashir, the former president of Sudan, smacked of neocolonialism.
—Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2022
How does a shadow state like Haiti achieve decolonization from neocolonialism?
—Marlene L. Daut, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2023
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Putin devoted a large chunk of his 40-minute speech to what has become a familiar litany of complaints against the West, accusing the U.S. of neocolonialism and decadeslong efforts at sabotage to dismember the Russian state.
—Alan Cullison, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2022
The initiative has been criticized as a form of neocolonialism: hooking up countries, particularly in Africa, to high-interest loans that leave them beholden to Chinese investment.
—WIRED, 27 Sep. 2022
The title track is a rousing seven-and-a-half-minute broadside against neocolonialism in Niger.
—Sheldon Pearce, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2021
What Far Cry 6 serves up is neocolonialism and cultural appropriation—with a wink.
—Phillip Penix-Tadsen, Wired, 9 Oct. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near neocolonialism
Cite this Entry
“Neocolonialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neocolonialism. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share