microstate

noun

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

Examples of microstate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pope Leo on Saturday made a day trip to Monaco, a tax-free microstate on the French ⁠Riviera known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts, and urged its residents to share their wealth and help those in need. Reuters, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026 The incident drew outcry from the microstate’s tiny Jewish community, which only just got its first full-time rabbi, a Chabad emissary, in the last two years. Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026 Mini, competing in slalom and giant slalom events, hails from San Marino, the second-smallest independent microstate in Italy, one covering only 25 square miles of the Apennine Mountains. Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Swiatek will likely also pay an additional 4% tax in Poland, reducing her championship winnings by an additional $162,000. Sinner, originally from Italy, will pay no additional taxes because his primary residence is in the income tax-free microstate of Monaco. Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025 According to the 2025 Knight Frank Wealth Report, a cool $1 million will get you just 205 square feet of space in this glittering microstate on the French Riviera. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2025 Surrounded by Italy on all sides, this microstate — the third smallest in Europe — has stubbornly clung to its independence over the centuries, even as revolutions and world wars swirled around it. Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 9 Oct. 2024 Only clergy members and administrative staff will live within the microstate, according to AFP. Abby Wilson, theweek, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of microstate was in 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Microstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microstate. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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