nation-state

American  

[ney-shuhn-steyt] / ˈneɪ ʃənˌsteɪt /

noun

1. a sovereign state inhabited by a relatively homogeneous group of people who share a feeling of common nationality.

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nation-state British  

noun

1. an independent state inhabited by all the people of one nation and one nation only

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Etymology

Origin of nation-state

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Since the modern nation-state system was organized by the Treaty of Westphalia in 1688, state sovereignty has been the bedrock of international law.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

To be clear, nobody is going to entirely deter a nation-state from conducting espionage.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

F5 in August discovered that nation-state hackers had gained long-term access to some of its systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

McCool said the "well-organised and well-funded" scheme involved "nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement".

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

What I knew of Orgoreyn indicated that it had become, over the last five or six centuries, an increasingly mobilizable society, a real nation-state.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin