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

See Examples For:

body politic

You can see something similar in the body politic, when the sudden appearance of something new and confusing kicks societal defenses into overdrive.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Propaganda, he argues, could be a tool to regulate and benefit the body politic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

All of this is a horror show for our body politic.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

“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

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