Alliance

noun

/əˈlaɪəns/

A formal agreement or union between two or more states for mutual support, coordinated action, or collective defence in pursuit of shared strategic objectives.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

India's strategic autonomy allows it to deepen the Quad alliance in the Indo-Pacific while preserving its long-standing defence partnership with Russia, illustrating a foreign policy of multi-alignment rather than bloc politics.

Synonyms

coalitionpactleaguepartnershipconfederationbloc

Antonyms

ruptureestrangementdisunionhostility

🌱 Word Family

ally (n/v), allied (adj), allies (n pl), align (v), realignment (n), misalliance (n)

🔡 Root

Latin ad- = to + ligare = to bind → alligare = to bind together → Old French alier = to ally

📜 Etymology

From Middle English, via Old French aliance from alier ("to ally"), from Latin alligare ("to bind together"), from ad- ("to") + ligare ("to bind"); first attested in English around 1325.

🧠 Memory Hook

ALLY + -ANCE: allies tied together. Root Latin ligare 'to bind' — the same root as 'ligament', the tissue that binds bones; an alliance binds nations.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2016 — Multilateral Agreements
Prelims 2015 — Neighbourhood Relations
Mains 2021 · GS3 · 10 marks — Environment and Ecology
Mains 2020 · GS2 · 15 marks — International Relations

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Alliance” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🤝 International Relations 📖 Seen in: India's Strategic Partnerships — USA, ...

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