superstate
noun
su·per·state
ˈsü-pər-ˌstāt 
plural superstates
1
: an extremely powerful nation or governing body having power over subordinate states
… Orwell's protagonist, Winston Smith, … starts keeping a forbidden diary in response to draconian rule in the fictional superstate of Oceania.—
Steve Barnes
Steve BarnesThe superb baroque staircase, lined with imperial Roman busts and portraits of emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, symbolizes the majestic superstate, founded in 800, by which Europe was haunted and embraced for a thousand years.—Philip Mansel
Philip Mansel2
: a union or federation of nations under a supergovernment
… the European Union's modern economic superstate.—Jim Hoagland
Jim HoaglandExamples of superstate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
No country or superstate is ever going to get AI legislation 100% right, but around the world, countries are starting to regulate AI.
—Bob Goodson, Fortune Europe, 16 Oct. 2024
Roberts thus sees the EU as more durable than the other superstates.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Orwell’s novel is set in an imagined future beset by war, surveillance and propaganda where Great Britain is a province of totalitarian superstate Oceania, ruled by the Party, led by Big Brother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Dec. 2021
Brexit was the culmination of the growing realization that Britain was becoming a vassal state to the ever-expanding and intrusive, both geographically and politically, European Union superstate.
—New York Times, 2 Apr. 2021
In the superstates of California and Texas, as well as Connecticut, resistance to smart meters has grown so high and widespread that temporary or permanent bans on these devices have been imposed or debated.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2011
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Bob Goodson, Fortune Europe, 16 Oct. 2024
Roberts thus sees the EU as more durable than the other superstates.
—Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Orwell’s novel is set in an imagined future beset by war, surveillance and propaganda where Great Britain is a province of totalitarian superstate Oceania, ruled by the Party, led by Big Brother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Dec. 2021
Brexit was the culmination of the growing realization that Britain was becoming a vassal state to the ever-expanding and intrusive, both geographically and politically, European Union superstate.
—New York Times, 2 Apr. 2021
In the superstates of California and Texas, as well as Connecticut, resistance to smart meters has grown so high and widespread that temporary or permanent bans on these devices have been imposed or debated.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2011
Cite this Entry
“Superstate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superstate. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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