nation-state

American

[ney-shuhn-steyt] / ˈneɪ ʃənˌsteɪt /

noun

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

nation-state British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Prior to Darby, Christians generally did not believe that Jews or a contemporary nation state called Israel had any role to play in the end times.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

On Dec. 30, 1978, he issued a memorandum defining Taiwan as “a foreign country, nation, state, government, or similar entity” under U.S. law.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

The Kurds are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East but do not have a nation state.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2025

“What happens if an international entity - a cybercriminal or a nation state - impersonates someone. What is the impact? Do we have any recourse?”

From Washington Times • May 14, 2023

In the field of politics it has contributed the nation state.

From Civilization and Beyond Learning from History by Nearing, Scott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023