What does Third World mean?

Definitions for Third World
third world

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Third World.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. Third Worldnoun

    underdeveloped and developing countries of Asia and Africa and Latin America collectively

Wiktionary

  1. Third Worldnoun

    Those countries not aligned with the west or the east during the Cold War.

  2. Third Worldnoun

    The developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

ChatGPT

  1. third world

    Third world is a term originally used during the Cold War era to categorize countries that were not aligned with either the NATO (the Western bloc) or the Communist Bloc (the Eastern bloc). Over time, it has evolved to refer primarily to poorer, developing or underdeveloped countries, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which face economical, social, political, and environmental challenges. However, this term is considered outdated and pejorative by some, who prefer the use of terms like "developing countries," "low and middle income countries," or "the Global South."

Wikidata

  1. Third World

    The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO, or the Communist Bloc. This terminology provided a way of broadly categorizing the nations of the Earth into three groups based on social, political, and economic divisions. The Third World was normally seen to include many countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which had a colonial past. It was also sometimes taken as synonymous with countries in the Non-Aligned Movement. In the so-called dependency theory of thinkers like Raul Prebisch, Theotonio dos Santos, and Andre Gunder Frank, the Third World has also been connected to the world economic division as "periphery" countries in the world system that is dominated by the "core" countries. Due to the complex history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed upon definition of the Third World. Some countries in the Communist Bloc, such as Cuba, were often regarded as "Third World". A history of colonialism was often assumed to be a common part of the "Third World," yet the category usually included countries with a history of their own imperialism, such as Turkey and China, and often excluded European countries with a history of colonial subordination, such as Ireland and Poland. Because many Third World countries" were extremely poor, and non-industrialized, it became a stereotype to refer to poor countries as "third world countries," yet the "Third World" term is also often taken to include Newly Industrialized Countries like India, Brazil or China. Historically, some European countries were part of the non-aligned movement and a few were and are very prosperous, including Switzerland and Austria.

Suggested Resources

  1. third world

    Song lyrics by third world -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by third world on the Lyrics.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Third World in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Third World in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of Third World in a Sentence

  1. Virginia Tech:

    If we don't fix this problem, a whole lot of people get hurt when they're being told there's nothing to worry about, and I can't live in a world where that's allowed to happen. ... The reality is, yeah we're third-world when it comes to drinking water in these poorer communities. That's the reality.

  2. Michael O. Chukwu:

    In a third world country as Nigeria If your principles are stronger than your capacity there tendencies you would compromise

  3. Cynthia García Coll:

    We are becoming a Third World country, and we the people in the street... are working 24/7 to contribute to this country's recovery without reliable infrastructure.

  4. Bernie Sanders:

    Anyone who took the walk that we took around this neighborhood would not think you are in a wealthy nation, you would think you are in a third world country.

  5. Albert Einstein:

    I don't know what kind of weapons will be used in the third world war, assuming there will be a third world war. But I can tell you what the fourth world war will be fought with -- stone clubs.


Translations for Third World

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"Third World." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Jun 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Third+World>.

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