as in republics
a state that has its own government and consists of a city and the area around it
the city-states of ancient Greece
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Recent Examples of city-states
His route to Sparta would have taken him through Corinth, Nemea, and Arcadia and avoided kingdoms or city-states not allied with Athens.
—
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Consequently, Persia abandoned its westward expansion, while various Greek city-states formed a tenuous alliance that lasted nearly 50 years.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Mar. 2026
Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
With crops failing and fears of starvation rising, some wealthy Italian city-states like Florence and Venice imported grain from elsewhere in the world.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 4 Dec. 2025
An ensuing grain shortage threatened to spark a famine or civil unrest, so Italian city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, resorted to emergency imports from the Black Sea region, which helped keep the population fed.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Consequently, Persia abandoned its westward expansion, while various Greek city-states formed a tenuous alliance that lasted nearly 50 years.
—Debbie Felton, The Conversation, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for city-states
Noun
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All kingdoms crumble, though, and after a decade-plus reign, the cupcake was left behind—an aging monarch overthrown by Dominique Ansel’s cronut, and the neophilic nature of social media feeds.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
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Let’s run through the whole sordid inventory of critters who have had unusual encounters with Kennedy—including denizens of several different animal kingdoms.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In it, the king is expected to discuss the United Kingdom’s relationship with the United States over the last 250 years and how the two nations have worked together to achievements in science, economics, innovation, international security and other fields.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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By March, Ukraine had dispatched more than two hundred military experts to help Persian Gulf nations defend against Iranian drone attacks.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The guys who have literally created their entire media empires around being online and around the clip ecosystem, livestreaming, et cetera?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Syracuse began as an ancient Greek settlement nearly 3,000 years ago, and its beauty has beckoned both travelers and empires for centuries (Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Norman, to name a few).—
Michele Becker,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But the king is expected to express the highest regard and friendship between the two countries on the 250th anniversary year of independence, creating what the palace called one of the greatest alliances in human history.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Instead, many of the Gulf countries now view Washington as prioritizing Israel’s interests over their own.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“City-states.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/city-states. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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