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

Given its vast scale and scope, the book does not pretend to offer definitive accounts of every major African polity or historical event. —Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

The Korean polity is deeply divided and the leftist opposition Democratic Party (DP) just might win an election if Yoon is removed. —Control Risks, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The Palestinian territories, Taiwan, Western Sahara, and other polities that are not broadly recognized as sovereign states will be especially vulnerable. —Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2025

Entire polities—Great Moravia, Galicia-Volhynia, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, the Habsburg Empire (later Austria-Hungary), Imperial Russia, the Western Ukrainian National Republic, the Soviet Union—that once held sway over the city have come and gone. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 7 Mar. 2022

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