body politic

American  

noun

Political Science.

1. a people regarded as a political body under an organized government.

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body politic British  

noun

1. the people of a nation or the nation itself considered as a political entity; the state

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Etymology

Origin of body politic

1425–75; late Middle English bodi politik

Example Sentences

It was the most extreme expression of a wound to the body politic that has been allowed to fester.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

For example, the Vietnam War wound down and no longer was this gaping wound on the body politic.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025

“If we possess anything important in our citizenship, it’s the ability to vote and to participate in the body politic of our localities in our nation,” Lacy said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

And it has survived to some degree for more than 150 years, tucked into the cracks of our body politic.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2024

I maintain that one reaches this princedom either with the favour of the common people or with that of the nobility, since these two different humours are found in every body politic.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli