commonweal

American  

[kom-uhn-weel] / ˈkɒm ənˌwil /

Or common weal

noun

1. the common welfare; the public good.

2. Archaic. the body politic; a commonwealth.

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commonweal British  

/ ˈkɒmənˌwiːl /

noun

1. the good of the community

2. another name for commonwealth

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Etymology

Origin of commonweal

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

Example Sentences

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

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

From Salon • Jan. 7, 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

Scores of politicians, including the U.S. commonweal th’s non-voting member of Congress, have called for Rossello to step down.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2019

Let no man therefore ridicule a myth as puerile if it be an aid to belief in that commonweal of humanity for which the Founder of the purest religion was a witness and a martyr.

From Moon Lore by Harley, Timothy