territorialism

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ri·​al·​ism ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-ˌli-zəm How to pronounce territorialism (audio)
1
: landlordism
2
: the principle established in 1555 requiring the inhabitants of a territory of the Holy Roman Empire to conform to the religion of their ruler or to emigrate
territorialist
ˌter-ə-ˈtȯr-ē-ə-list How to pronounce territorialism (audio)
noun

Examples of territorialism in a Sentence

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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.
To an outsider, the downsides of this kind of responsibility-siloing were obvious: a lack of trust throughout the organization, territorialism, and little incentive in working toward—and, when necessary, accepting tradeoffs in service of—a unified company mission. — Ron Carucci, Forbes, 19 May 2021 While some might feel a sense of territorialism over their creation, as a veteran of the blogging world, Wilson acknowledges that’s not how things work in the recipe sphere. — Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of territorialism was in 1881

Rhymes for territorialism

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Browse Nearby Words

territorial gold
territorialism
territoriality
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Cite this Entry

“Territorialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorialism. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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