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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.

nation-state British  

noun

  1. 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

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.