usurpative

Usurpative is an adjective used to describe actions, claims, or persons characterized by usurpation—the act of seizing power, rights, or privileges without rightful authority. The word derives from usurpation, from the Latin usurpare, with the suffix -ative forming an adjective that denotes a property or tendency.

In political theory and historical writing, usurpative describes efforts to capture control of a state, government, or institution through force, coercion, deception, or manipulation of legal mechanisms, rather than through legitimate elections or constitutional processes. It can apply to regimes, rulers, factions, or policies that embody such seizure.

The term is less common than near-synonyms such as usurpatory and is typically used in formal or scholarly prose. It tends to carry a critical implication, signaling illegitimate or questionable authority, though the precise legal or moral evaluation depends on context.

Examples: a usurpative coup, usurpative tactics by the faction.

See also: usurpation; coup d'état; illegitimate authority; sovereignty.