1. of, relating to, or based on a confederation or alliance of states or groups
Usage: formal; political/governmental context
2. tending to unite or combine into a confederation
Usage: formal

Examples

• The confederative structure of the European Union allows member states to retain significant autonomy.
• A confederative system distributes power among multiple regional governments.
• The confederative agreement bound the smaller nations together for mutual defense.
• The founding fathers debated whether a confederative or unitary government would better serve the new nation.
• Confederative principles emphasize the sovereignty of individual states within a larger union.