commonweal

Or com·mon weal

[kom-uhn-weel]

noun

1. the common welfare; the public good.

2. Archaic.,  the body politic; a commonwealth.

commonweal

/ ˈkɒmənˌwiːl /

noun

1. the good of the community

2. another name for commonwealth

Word History and Origins

Origin of commonweal¹

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

Example Sentences

Compromise and consensus — the animating creeds of our commonweal — have ebbed away.

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How, he asks, can the majority be trusted when narrow self-interest is allowed to run roughshod over the commonweal?

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

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

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The problem, of course, is a widespread disinclination to serve that good, whether it is fueled by selfishness and ignorance or the sense that one’s contributions to the commonweal have not felt adequately reciprocal.

Read more on New York Times