territorialism

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noun

Territoriality: the assertion of rights to a territory

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounterritorialism (countable and uncountable, plural territorialisms)

plural territorialisms

  1. countableuncountableTerritoriality: the assertion of rights to a territory

    Such incidents create debate about localism, a brand of territorialism that has been practiced at surf breaks around the world for decades.

    2009 January 23, Matt Higgins, “Rough Waves, Tougher Beaches”, in New York Times
  2. countableuncountablelifestyleA theory of church government according to which the ruler of a country has the natural right to rule also over the ecclesiastical affairs of its people.

Origin

From territorial + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

territorialism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/territorialism

MLA

“territorialism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/territorialism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “territorialism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/territorialism.

Source: territorialism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.