Pseudostate
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A geopolitical entity which has some of the trappings of an independently-governed country or territory, but which lacks real independence and is not recognized as a self-governing political entity by the international community of nations.
"In 1975 the state decreed that the Mfengu were really Xhosa, and that their traditional "homeland" was 300 miles away, in a Xhosa pseudostate called Ciskei."
- 2 An entity that resembles, but is not in fact, a state in a state machine or similar.
"Every exit pseudostate that does not have an incoming transition becomes a priority relevant exit pseudostate, the other exit pseudostates become non-priority relevant exit pseudostates."
Example
More examples"In 1975 the state decreed that the Mfengu were really Xhosa, and that their traditional "homeland" was 300 miles away, in a Xhosa pseudostate called Ciskei."
Etymology
From pseudo- + state.
More for "pseudostate"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.