nation-states

noun

plural of nation-state
as in nations
a form of political organization in which a group of people who share the same history, traditions, or language live in a particular area under one government the rise of European nation-states in the thirteenth century

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 nation-states After they were replaced by oligarchs, along came nation-states and sovereign wealth funds. — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The question of Kashmir has shaped the trajectories of India and Pakistan since the end of British rule and their birth as nation-states in August 1947. — Aqil Shah, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 Europe could revert to a collection of nation-states ruled by illiberal nationalist governments content to accommodate Civilizational America. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Terrorists, criminal organizations, hostile nation-states, and sophisticated cybercriminals can now move money across borders with unprecedented speed using cryptocurrency. — Mitchell Silber, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026 In the world of Berle and Means, firms operated mostly within the boundaries of nation-states. — Mary Johnstone-Louis, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 During that conflict, their ancestral homes were nation-states. — Ibrahim Al-Marashi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026 In the West, nation-states produced an astonishing expansion of equality, democracy and material security. — Literary Hub, 18 May 2026 The tradition endures even as most people quietly agree that art probably shouldn’t be co-opted by the agendas of nation-states. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nation-states
  1. nations
  2. kingdoms
  3. monarchies
  4. empires
Noun
  • Officials in nations that have traditionally had strong economic links with Iran have not heard much from the US this week.
    — Yash Roy, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has made no secret of his intent to halt the advancing influence by both adversary nations into not only Venezuela, but throughout the Western hemisphere.
    — David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of nations
Noun
  • The honeypot sites of royal Rajasthan—spliced by the brown slopes of the Aravalli Range, the state emerged after Partition from a mosaic of 22 feudal kingdoms—are so many people’s taster to India.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The empire did not expand further and eventually fragmented into smaller kingdoms.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of kingdoms
Noun
  • The Belgian and Dutch monarchies seem to share a warm bond as well as a border, and Queen Mathilde and Queen Máxima are known to be friends.
    — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • Even the Gulf monarchies who’ve made their fortunes on oil and gas exports have come around to the idea that this is not a sustainable strategy, yet Trump won’t hear it.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 17 June 2026
Definition of monarchies
Noun
  • Three years ago, FSU was undefeated, Travis was its heartbeat and Norvell appeared to have resurrected one of college football’s great empires.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
  • These luxury houses increasingly resemble sports franchises, with star designers traded, poached, and recruited across warring corporate empires.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of empires

Browse Nearby Words

nation-state
nation-states
nationwide
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nation-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nation-states. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
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
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All