Meanings
plural bloc parties
- A nonruling political party that exists in a largely symbolic capacity within a de facto one-party system, particularly in communist regimes.
Bloc party membership was largely opportunistic, offering a niche in public life (officially sanctioned yet apart from the SED), and opportunities for career advancement.
1996, Paul G. Lewis, editor, Party Structure and Organization in East-Central Europe, Edward Elgar Publishing, →ISBN, page 173Synonyms: satellite party
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA nonruling political party that exists in a largely symbolic capacity within a de facto one-party system, particularly in communist regimes.
Origin
- GermanBlockpartei
- Englishbloc party
Calque of German Blockpartei.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 民主黨派 /民主党派, 花瓶黨 /花瓶党
- 民主黨派 /民主党派 (Mínzhǔ Dǎngpài)Translations
- 花瓶黨 /花瓶党 (huāpíngdǎng)Translations
German Blockpartei
- BlockparteiTranslations
Korean 위성정당
- 위성정당 (wiseongjeongdang)Translations
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
bloc party. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bloc%20party
“bloc party.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bloc%20party. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bloc party,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bloc%20party.
Source: bloc party on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.