commonweal
Americannoun
-
the common welfare; the public good.
-
Archaic. the body politic; a commonwealth.
noun
-
the good of the community
-
another name for commonwealth
Etymology
Origin of commonweal
First recorded in 1350–1400, commonweal is from Middle English comen wele. See common, weal 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Compromise and consensus — the animating creeds of our commonweal — have ebbed away.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
A speech designed to discuss the commonweal will be delivered to a nation that is having increasing difficulty finding much of anything in common.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2022
America, of course, already has a celebrity dad: Tom Hanks, whose very blood is apparently being used to contribute to the commonweal.
From Slate • Apr. 28, 2020
They insisted that there is a value higher than market value—this value being the commonweal, the well-being of a society and the people who comprise it.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2015
"I was alluding to the commonweal," and he began to pace angrily up and down the room.
From 'Midst the Wild Carpathians by J?kai, M?r
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
