semicolonial

adjective

semi·​co·​lo·​nial ˌse-mē-kə-ˈlō-nyəl 

ˌse-ˌmī-,

-mi-,

-nē-əl

1

: nominally independent but actually under foreign domination

2

: dependent on foreign nations as suppliers of manufactured goods and as purchasers of raw materials

semicolonialism

ˌse-mē-kə-ˈlō-nyə-ˌli-zəm

ˌse-ˌmī-

-mi-

-nē-ə- 

noun

Examples of semicolonial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though Afghanistan was never formally colonized, Britain maintained a discreet semicolonial presence in the country that was continually resisted—the source of a series of Anglo-Afghan wars in the 19th and 20th centuries. —Priya Satia, Time, 27 Apr. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined at sense 1