associated state vs territory

associated state and territory both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
associated state	Yes	No	No	No
territory	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, territory is a hypernym of associated state; that is, territory is a word with a broader meaning than associated state:

associated state: a state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty
territory: a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

Other hypernyms of associated state include district, dominion, territorial dominion.

associated state (noun)	territory (noun)
a state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty	an area of knowledge or interest
	a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
	the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state