commonwealth

com·mon·wealth

noun \-ˌwelth also -ˌweltth\

Definition of COMMONWEALTH

1

archaic : commonweal 2

2

: a nation, state, or other political unit: as a : one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good b : one in which supreme authority is vested in the people c : republic

3

capitalized a : the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660 b : protectorate 1b

4

: a state of the United States —used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

5

capitalized : a federal union of constituent states —used officially of Australia

6

often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)

7

often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the United States —used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands

Examples of COMMONWEALTH

1. <laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth>

First Known Use of COMMONWEALTH

15th century

Related to COMMONWEALTH

Synonyms: nation, country, land, sovereignty (also sovranty), state

Related Words: city-state, microstate, ministate, nation-state; domain, dominion, empire, kingdom, realm, republic; duchy, dukedom, emirate, principality, seigniory (or seignory), sultanate; democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, monocracy, oligarchy, sovereign (also sovran), theocracy; client state, colony, condominium, dependency, mandate, province, settlement, soil, trust territory; fatherland, homeland, motherland; great power, power, sea power, superpower, world power; welfare state

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Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with COMMONWEALTH

public health