1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

city-state

noun

Definition of city-statenext
as in republic
a state that has its own government and consists of a city and the area around it the city-states of ancient Greece

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of city-state Just as oil money transformed and modernized the Gulf into city-states of gleaming skyscrapers, centuries of wine money have polished this rural corner of Burgundy into an agri-luxury oasis. — George Nelson For Artnews, Robb Report, 9 July 2026 The joint city-state Bus Action Plan also commits the MTA to improving bus maintenance across the fleet. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026 Athens was a belligerent city-state that fell victim to its own aggressions. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 The ultra-wealthy city-state of Monaco on the French Riviera is no stranger to luxury hotels—fellow grand dames Hôtel de Paris and Hermitage sit at the heart of the action around Casino Square—each vying to outdo the other with fancy arrivals and impeccably discreet service. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for city-state
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-state
  1. republic
  2. kingdom
  3. nation
  4. empire
  5. country
  6. duchy
  7. commonwealth
  8. principality
Noun
  • Grunis had previously fought in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic whose bid for independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse led to years of war with Russian government forces.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Grunis had previously fought in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic whose bid for independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse led to years of war with Russian government forces, and also took part in Russia’s campaign in Syria.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of republic
Noun
  • The native people of this region were not wiped out by smallpox and instead established an independent kingdom that blends a traditional monarchy with Catholicism, thanks to the efforts of some earlier missionaries.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier this month, drone attacks attributed by Saudi Arabia to Iraqi militias damaged the kingdom’s East-West pipeline, a key route for moving crude to the Red Sea and allowing Saudi oil exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of kingdom
Noun
  • The exact circumstances in each nation differ, but vaccination gaps are a common thread, leading some experts to question if more catastrophic measles outbreaks are around the corner.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Yet at an event on Thursday, Huang displayed unwavering confidence, projecting that Nvidia's chip sales will double next year as nations and corporations continue scaling up AI investments.
    — , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of nation
Noun
  • The dominant language of the western half of the empire was Latin, with Greek predominating in the eastern parts of the empire.
    — Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Beauty in Black is a drama following Polidore’s Kimmie, a Chicago strip-club dancer, whose life becomes entangled with Mallory (Crystle Stewart), the powerful head of a hair-care empire.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of empire
Noun
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to prohibit persecution.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Subsequent intermittent attacks between the two countries have coincided with higher domestic gas prices due to disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of country
Noun
  • If Jeopardy asks about a European duchy, the European duchy is going to be Luxembourg.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Louise Haigh will take on the role of Chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, First Secretary of State and Cabinet Office Minister.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 20 July 2026
Definition of duchy
Noun
  • The order comes as groups across the commonwealth are recognizing the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, which killed 2,977 people.
    — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Shortly after her arrival at her grandmother’s, in 1900, Australia transforms from six British colonies into a single, largely self-governing commonwealth.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of commonwealth
Noun
  • There was another hint — this one visible to more than just a select few people — when Mas and his Spanish team descended on another principality, Monaco, for the race’s start.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Hard Rock Stadium is now Formula 1’s annual principality while JPMorgan Chase’s expanding South Florida presence mirrors the region’s growing luxury-car economy.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of principality

Browse Nearby Words

city slickers
city-state
city-states
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“City-state.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-state. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on city-state

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about city-state

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All