microstate

noun

mi·​cro·​state ˈmī-krō-ˌstāt How to pronounce microstate (audio)
: a nation that is extremely small in area and population

Examples of microstate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 2006, the World Bank brokered a deal between this impoverished microstate and nearby New Zealand. Sebastian Mallaby, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2015 These include the Schengen area countries and EU member states, European microstates like Andorra and Monaco and other nations including Egypt, Georgia and Tunisia. Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023 In Europe, Spain has a capital gain tax of 25 %, but the microstate of Andorra has a capital gain tax of 10 %. Guillem MacIa, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023 Shooter Alessandra Perilli — one of just five Sammarinese athletes at the Olympics — is the new hero of the microstate, which has a population of 34,000, after winning a bronze medal in the women's trap. Helen Regan, Aditi Sangal and Adam Renton, CNN, 30 July 2021 Why is Flo Rida at Eurovision, representing a tiny, eight-mile long microstate in Italy's Apennine Mountains? Rob Picheta, CNN, 21 May 2021 Epic Andorra is giving outdoor enthusiasts a new way to appreciate the microstate. T+l Editors, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2021 The competition featured an unlikely appearance from American rapper Flo Rida, who arrived for a guest verse on the song by tiny microstate San Marino. Rob Picheta, CNN, 23 May 2021 What started as a haven for Christians escaping persecution by the Roman Empire eventually became an assiduously neutral microstate. New York Times, 2 Apr. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'microstate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of microstate was in 1962

Dictionary Entries Near microstate

Cite this Entry

“Microstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microstate. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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