Definition

A belief or policy that a country should take control of areas that it believes are historically or ethnically related to it.

Example

The government adopted an irredentism policy to reclaim territories it lost in the past.

Conversation

Have you ever heard about the concept of irredentism?

Yeah, it's about countries wanting to reclaim land based on historical ties, right?

Exactly! It can create a lot of tension between nations.

For sure, especially when people feel a strong connection to those areas.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Irredentism is formed from "ir-" (meaning not) and "redent" (from Italian "redento", meaning redeemed or recovered) combined with the suffix "-ism" (indicating a doctrine or belief). The term refers to a political principle advocating for the recovery of territories that are considered lost or unredeemed by a nation.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not' ('ir-') being combined with 'recovered' ('redent') to remember that irredentism is about the belief in recovering lost territories.

Visually Confused Words