1
as in confederacies
an association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection
the smaller nations were forced to form a confederation out of self-defense
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in associations
the state of having shared interests or efforts (as in social or business matters)
the big-budget movie was produced by the studio in confederation with another in order to lower the risk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of confederations
Chosen from all six confederations and across 50 FIFA member associations, the 170-strong refereeing contingent – featuring six women – is the largest roster of officials in tournament history.
—
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Blatter often had to yield to lesser chiefs, such as the heads of the continental confederations, in order to maintain his grip on power.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
The pattern had jumped continents and confederations.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 1 June 2026
Concacaf is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations, covering soccer teams from Canada up north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana in the south.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
There are six teams from five confederations.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The intercontinental playoff features six teams from five different confederations (AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL and OFC) with two spots up for grabs.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
There can be only up to two European teams per group and only one team per group from each of the remaining five continental confederations under FIFA.
—Rafael Nam, NPR, 5 Dec. 2025
Likewise the Umuchu, and the Isuochi and Nneato of Okigwe in present-day Nigeria, formed defensive confederations to pool their resources.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026
Blatter often had to yield to lesser chiefs, such as the heads of the continental confederations, in order to maintain his grip on power.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
The pattern had jumped continents and confederations.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 1 June 2026
Concacaf is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations, covering soccer teams from Canada up north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana in the south.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
There are six teams from five confederations.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The intercontinental playoff features six teams from five different confederations (AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL and OFC) with two spots up for grabs.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
There can be only up to two European teams per group and only one team per group from each of the remaining five continental confederations under FIFA.
—Rafael Nam, NPR, 5 Dec. 2025
Likewise the Umuchu, and the Isuochi and Nneato of Okigwe in present-day Nigeria, formed defensive confederations to pool their resources.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confederations
Noun
-
In the 2026 edition, FIFA is operating the tournament itself, dealing directly with host cities rather than through national federations.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
19 June 2026
-
The World Cup of Pickleball grew from 32 participating countries to 78 in just one year, a jump that has reshaped how investors and federations talk about the sport’s trajectory.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
In Africa, the associations are reliant on the government and treasury.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Politicians and nursing associations have warned that federal borrowing loan caps will force students into private loans, which typically have higher interest rates, leaving students with more debt over time.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Tim Jones, a former top Republican in the Missouri House, who is involved in the campaign for Amendment 5, said business organizations like the Chamber are broad coalitions.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
Knowing this, the temptation to adopt a more siloed strategy, one that eschews coalitions with allies who have disappointed us, is strong.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The community also signed cooperation agreements with KPS, the Institute of Language Sciences of Shanghai International Studies University, AltStory, and Kuaizi, with the partnerships focused on data sets, linguistic corpus building, and research into AI agents.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
13 June 2026
-
Third, augment human capabilities with AI, connected architecture and long-term partnerships — with humans always in the lead.—
Harpreet Sidhu,
Fortune,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
In those circumstances, Gulf countries will look to diversify their strategic alliances as much as their pipeline networks.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
-
More action means more to unpack, like incestuous bloodlines, secret plots that have been years in the making, the rapidly shifting alliances, and how to tell all the silver-haired Targaryens apart.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
In the meantime, Texas Tech will do whatever is needed to repair any type of fractured relationships within the Big 12 this has caused.—
Trey Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
In most other competitions, clubs establish individual relationships with manufacturers.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
In addition to the president’s resignation, unions are demanding wage increases and an end to fuel and dollar shortages.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
The coalition, including the Motion Picture Association and the Hollywood unions, is pushing for a carve-out that would exempt film credits from the new limitation.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Amy and Bill Koman are passionate cancer research advocates and co-founders of Curebound, a cancer research accelerator forging powerful collaborations to advance innovative science into lifesaving cures.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2026
-
Specials change with the season and often involve collaborations with other favorite local food businesses.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Confederations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confederations. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
