nation-state

noun

na·​tion-state ˈnā-shən-ˈstāt 

-ˌstāt

: a form of political organization under which a relatively homogeneous people inhabits a sovereign state

especially : a state containing one as opposed to several nationalities

Examples of nation-state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The drive to define the face as a data point, something to be grasped and controlled, underpins the bureaucracy of the modern nation-state, in which faces are surveyed, categorized, and stored in digital banks. — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

Louden points out, for example, that Swedish and Norwegian are highly mutually intelligible, but neither is considered a dialect of the other, or of a parent language, primarily because each is associated with a separate nation-state. — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 23 June 2026

In the world of Berle and Means, firms operated mostly within the boundaries of nation-states. — Mary Johnstone-Louis, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

The hypocrisy becomes even more obvious when examining other nation-states. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nation-state

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate