polity

noun

pol·​i·​ty ˈpä-lə-tē 

plural polities

1

: political organization

2

: a specific form of political organization

3

: a politically organized unit

4

a

: the form or constitution of a politically organized unit

b

: the form of government of a religious denomination

Examples of polity in a Sentence

the polities of medieval Italy

Recent Examples on the Web

Shenderovich noted that, for the health of a polity, its norms—what’s considered morally permissible—can often matter more than the laws that formally govern it. —Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

Each polity had its own nuances and England was no different. —Jonathan Healey september 18, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2025

What kind of polity the Jews would establish in Palestine was another subject of debate. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025

But this transnational polity of 150,000 members across five continents has remained stable even as democracy has retreated elsewhere around the globe. —Tenzin Dorjee, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Late Latin polītīa "citizenship, political organization, constitution of a state, administrative direction," with ending conformed to -ity — more at police entry 1

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for polity

• jollity
• quality
• causality
• equality
• frivolity
• sodality
• inequality