the body politic
noun phrase
formal
: all the people in a particular country considered as a single group
The article examines the language politicians use to appeal to the body politic.
Examples of the body politic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Lost Cause monuments are the still-visible presentation of this dis-ease of injured and ill-earned power in the body politic.
—
Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
In the body politic, this anxiety can work similarly—pushing people to turn inward.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2026
The government ought to regard the existence of a tax preparation industry for standard returns as a parasite on the body politic.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The partisanship fueling such animosity is a cancer that is consuming and weakening the body politic.
—Michael Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
All within the body politic must recognize the salience of education on all levels and treat it as an imperative investment for universal prosperity.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
No longer a horror wunderkind, Aster, at thirty-nine, yearns to be an impish anatomist of the body politic.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Corruption has infected the body politic, leaving a chasm in local leadership desperate for someone to fill.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Since then, the political space in Iran has narrowed, as the hard-liners have eviscerated the left wing of the body politic.
—Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
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Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
In the body politic, this anxiety can work similarly—pushing people to turn inward.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2026
The government ought to regard the existence of a tax preparation industry for standard returns as a parasite on the body politic.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The partisanship fueling such animosity is a cancer that is consuming and weakening the body politic.
—Michael Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025
All within the body politic must recognize the salience of education on all levels and treat it as an imperative investment for universal prosperity.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
No longer a horror wunderkind, Aster, at thirty-nine, yearns to be an impish anatomist of the body politic.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 July 2025
Corruption has infected the body politic, leaving a chasm in local leadership desperate for someone to fill.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Since then, the political space in Iran has narrowed, as the hard-liners have eviscerated the left wing of the body politic.
—Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2015
Cite this Entry
“The body politic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20body%20politic. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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