commonweal

noun

com·​mon·​weal ˈkä-mən-ˌwēl 

1

archaic : commonwealth

2

: the general welfare

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The problem, of course, is a widespread disinclination to serve that good, whether it is fueled by selfishness and ignorance or the sense that one’s contributions to the commonweal have not felt adequately reciprocal. —New York Times, 29 Oct. 2021

And water allocations could be reduced with generous buyouts that would amply compensate producers for returning their share of the lake water to the commonweal. —Emma Marris, The Atlantic, 5 June 2021

Having sold the legislation as a necessary response to a public-health and economic crisis, its fans are now saying that its great contribution to the commonweal is bringing back the New Deal. —The Editors, National Review, 17 Mar. 2021

This odious walled vertical suburb is a civic embarrassment, the embodiment of a runaway plutocracy that places its own interests over the commonweal — and common decency. —Mark Lamster, Dallas News, 18 Dec. 2020

The usual response to people who abuse an honor system — or indeed, who fail to contribute to the commonweal by masking and social distancing — is to expose them to shame, typically by revealing their misconduct. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2020

But the Smithsonian’s contributions to the commonweal still stands out, not only for its breadth but for its permissiveness. —Brian Barrett, Wired, 27 Feb. 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

commonweal

noun

com·​mon·​weal ˈkäm-ən-ˌwēl 

1

archaic : commonwealth

2

: the general good