city-state

[sit-ee-steyt]

noun

1. a sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city and, especially historically, any dependent settlements or territories.

   The Corinthian order of architecture is named for its legendary origin in the ancient Greek city-state of Corinth.

   Singapore’s role in shaping global entrepreneurship has further strengthened that city-state's position in the world economy.

city-state

noun

1. a state consisting of a sovereign city and its dependencies. Among the most famous are the great independent cities of the ancient world, such as Athens, Sparta, Carthage, Thebes, Corinth, and Rome

Word History and Origins

Origin of city-state¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The ancient Greek mindset, curious and adaptive, owes much to living amid hundreds of neighboring city-states with distinct cultures.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Other German tax authorities are getting in on the act, with the city-state of Hamburg and the state of Thuringia among those conducting probes.

Read more on Barron's

In 2019, the city-state fined a Singaporean activist for holding an online forum several years prior that featured prominent activist Joshua Wong speaking in a teleconference call.

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The glitzy, ever-expanding United Arab Emirates city-state of Dubai offers little sign of a major cricket event - there are no welcome banners at the airport.

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He said he wanted to build a new city-state, somewhere on the Mediterranean coast.

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