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commonweal

American  
[kom-uhn-weel] / ˈkɒm ənˌwil /
Or common weal

noun

  1. the common welfare; the public good.

  2. Archaic. the body politic; a commonwealth.


commonweal British  
/ ˈkɒmənˌwiːl /

noun

  1. the good of the community

  2. another name for commonwealth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of commonweal

First recorded in 1350–1400, commonweal is from Middle English comen wele. See common, weal 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A speech designed to discuss the commonweal will be delivered to a nation that is having increasing difficulty finding much of anything in common.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2022

Politicians and assorted intellectuals lazily depict public expressions of faith as providing exponential benefits for the commonweal.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2022

America, of course, already has a celebrity dad: Tom Hanks, whose very blood is apparently being used to contribute to the commonweal.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2020

Scores of politicians, including the U.S. commonweal th’s non-voting member of Congress, have called for Rossello to step down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2019

Caius Sempronius Gracchus was getting daily more tired of his thoroughly retired life; and, being an excellent spokesman, he began to flatter himself that the commonweal might profit by his services.

From The Comic History of Rome by Gilbert Abbott ? Becket

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