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
His route to Sparta would have taken him through Corinth, Nemea, and Arcadia and avoided kingdoms or city-states not allied with Athens.
—
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
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Let’s run through the whole sordid inventory of critters who have had unusual encounters with Kennedy—including denizens of several different animal kingdoms.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
16 Apr. 2026
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The original Aegon was the first to unite the kingdoms of Westeros under one ruler.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But there is every reason to think that private equity will continue to play a significant role in the development of rich and poor nations alike.—
Hettie O'Brien,
The Dial,
21 Apr. 2026
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Energy crisis around the world Although gas prices remain high for American consumers, Asian and European nations are fairing far worse, with depleting oil reserves forcing some life-altering measures.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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On April 21, 1526, a Central Asian prince named Babur defeated the Delhi sultanate ruler Ibrahim Lodi in India and laid the foundations of what would become one of the most important empires of early modern history—the Mughal Empire (1526–1857).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
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And some have other, even more lucrative pieces of their empires, including merchandising, theme parks, hotels and cruise lines.—
Sarah Whitten,Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And while renewables might work for some energy-importing countries as a solution to high natural gas prices, there’s no green alternative for jet fuel — or fertilizer, or any number of other critical refined products — at scale.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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On Marathon Monday, the company stationed the robot at its 888 Boylston Street showroom in Boston, displaying it in front of thousands of runners from roughly 130 countries, as well as hundreds of thousands of spectators.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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