WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
pol•y•cen•tric
(pol′ē sen′trik),USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Governmenthaving many centers, esp. of power or importance:the polycentric world of banking.
- poly- + -centric 1885–90
pol•y•cen•trism
(pol′ē sen′triz əm),USA pronunciation n.
pol′y•cen′tric, adj.
pol′y•cen′trist, n., adj.
- Governmentthe doctrine that a plurality of independent centers of leadership, power, or ideology may exist within a single political system, esp. Communism.
- Governmentthe fact of having many centers of authority or importance:the polycentrism of American intellectual life.
- polycentr(ic) + -ism 1955–60
pol′y•cen′trist, n., adj.
'polycentric' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):