nation-state
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of nation-state
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
But the idea of linguistic commonality among members of a nation-state was not ever a demand for monolingualism.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026
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
His coverage focuses on the national security and geopolitical dimensions of nation-state hacking conflict, digital espionage, online influence operations, election interference, and government surveillance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
F5 experienced a security breach, giving nation-state affiliated hackers persistent access to systems and stealing BIG-IP source code and vulnerability data.
From Barron's • Oct. 16, 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
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.
