nation-state

[ney-shuhn-steyt]

noun

1. a sovereign state inhabited by a relatively homogeneous group of people who share a feeling of common nationality.

nation-state

noun

1. an independent state inhabited by all the people of one nation and one nation only

Word History and Origins

Origin of nation-state¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

They also rewarded terrorism, strengthened the genocidal ambitions of the global jihad and sent a chilling message: The path to international legitimacy runs not through the difficult work of building up a nation-state and engaging in diplomacy, but through mass murder, the weaponization of transnational institutions and the erasure of historical truth.

From Los Angeles Times

McCool said the "well-organised and well-funded" scheme involved "nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement".

From BBC

The unidentified nation-state actors were sending encrypted messages to organised crime groups, cartels and terrorist organisations, he added.

From BBC

At some point, you have to just let them go on believing what they want about subjects such as whether your nuclear-armed nation-state will be winding down its war of conquest at a meeting in Geneva.

From Slate

Any well-read person is likely to consider the rise of the modern nation-state to be a distinctly mixed bag, as the history of the last two or three centuries has demonstrated.

From Salon