What does "confederate" mean?
A member of a confederacy.
Confederate
/kənˈfɛdəɹət/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A member of a confederacy.
- Grammar: confederate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accomplice, collaborator, abettor, accessory.
- Useful contrasts: adversary, centralized, disunite.
- Usage evidence: Too many Confederate soldiers had fallen in battle.
How to use "confederate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "confederate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "confederate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "confederate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "confederate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "confederate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accomplice" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "confederate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of a confederacy.
- 2 A citizen of the Confederate States of America. historical
"In fact, I heard everything in the world except that the Confederates lost the war. When I was ten years old, it was a violent shock to learn that General Lee had been defeated."
- 3 a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan) wordnet
- 4 An accomplice in a plot.
"By'th'vvay, vve met my vvife, her ſiſter, and a rabble more Of vilde confederates : […]"
- 5 A supporter of Confederation between Newfoundland and Canada. historical
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 someone who assists in a plot wordnet
- 7 An accomplice in a plot.; An actor who participates in a psychological experiment pretending to be a subject but in actuality working for the researcher.
"So how do you win the imitation game? “Just be yourself,” a past confederate advises Christian. But what does it mean to “be yourself”?"
- 8 A supporter of Irish Catholic self-rule during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. historical
- 9 a supporter of the Confederate States of America wordnet
Verb
- 1 To unite persons or states in a league, confederacy or conspiracy; to ally, league. ambitransitive
"All persons who conspire confederate and agree to murder any person whether a subject of Her Majesty or not and whether within the Queen's dominions or not, […] shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than ten years."
- 2 form a confederation with; of nations wordnet
- 3 form a group or unite wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Of, relating to, or united in a confederacy
- 2 Of or relating to the Confederate States of America. historical, not-comparable
"Yes. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s Attorney General and the unfortunate result of Dobby the house elf’s one-night stand with the Confederate flag, got in trouble this-, (enjoy!) got in trouble this week for undisclosed meetings with Russia’s ambassadors, something which, in itself, is not against the law."
- 3 Banded together; allied.
"All the swords / In Italy, and her confederate arms, / Could not have made this peace."
- 4 Of or relating to the political movement in favour of Confederation between Newfoundland and Canada. historical, not-comparable
- 5 Confederated. archaic, obsolete
"Remember as thou read'ſt, thy promiſe paſt : I do repent me, reade not my name there, My heart is not confederate with my hand."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Of or relating to Confederate Ireland or the Irish Confederate Wars. historical, not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 of or having to do with the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War wordnet
- 2 united in a confederacy or league wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Too many Confederate soldiers had fallen in battle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "confederate"?
Common synonyms include: accomplice, collaborator, abettor, accessory, accompany, accomplice.
How do you use "confederate" in a sentence?
Too many Confederate soldiers had fallen in battle.
How do you pronounce "confederate"?
Pronounced /kənˈfɛdəɹət/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First attested in 1387, in Middle english; inherited from Middle English confederat(e) (“confederated, allied, associated in a plot; united or bound, as in friendship or troth”), borrowed from Late Latin cōnfoederātus perfect passive participle of cōnfoederō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English. By surface analysis, con- + federate.
Etymology 2
First attested in 1531; borrowed from Late Latin cōnfoederātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Doublet of (obsolete) confeder.