as in republics
a state that has its own government and consists of a city and the area around it
the city-states of ancient Greece
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Recent Examples of city-states
Consequently, Persia abandoned its westward expansion, while various Greek city-states formed a tenuous alliance that lasted nearly 50 years.
—
Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
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Throughout the Bronze Age and medieval centuries, Armenian vineyards thrived under the rule of kingdoms and monasteries.—
Layne Randolph,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Campeau designed with the natural world in mind, differentiating the kingdoms of Maui, O’ahu, and Hawaii through key geographic features in each.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Last season’s winners Paris Saint-Germain had players from eight different nations in their starting line-up.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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What's Next The government faces steep socioeconomic and cultural headwinds that have frustrated other nations, and whether ending the two-child policy will make a significant difference on the trend remains uncertain.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Their empires cracked, their shadows receded, and their names faded into cautionary tales.—
John Hope Bryant,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
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Writers and rulers across Europe and the Americas have looked back to Virgil’s epic as a model for their own founding myths, in the construction of new nations, new colonies, new empires.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The two countries last month agreed to extend the trade truce by another 90 days, to mid-November.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Many of the amendments are likely to spark infighting among Republicans as the party battles over whether to become more isolationist in the face of skepticism about assisting foreign countries.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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