commonwealth

noun

com·​mon·​wealth ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth 

 also  -ˌweltth

1

: a nation, state, or other political unit: such as

a

: one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good

b

: one in which supreme authority is vested in the people

c

: republic

2

: a state of the U.S.

—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

3

often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the U.S.

—used officially of Puerto Rico and of the Northern Mariana Islands

4

often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)

5

capitalized

a

: the English state from the death of Charles I in 1649 to the Restoration in 1660

b

: protectorate sense 1b

6

capitalized : a federal union of constituent states

—used officially of Australia

7

archaic : commonweal sense 2

Synonyms

• country
• land
• nation
• sovereignty
• sovranty
• state

Examples of commonwealth in a Sentence

laws that will benefit all the citizens of the commonwealth

Recent Examples on the Web

Calleja directed cultural and national events including the commonwealth heads of government meeting opening ceremony in 2015 and Malta’s presidency of the council of the EU cultural program in 2017. —Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025

The Kentucky Open Records Act allows residents of the commonwealth to request access to a wide range of government documents, though some are exempt from inspection. —Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 3 Feb. 2025

The commonwealth bars governors from serving back-to-back terms, effectively limiting them to one four-year term. —Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 27 Jan. 2025

If Earle-Sears and Spanberger each win their respective primaries, one of them will go on to become the commonwealth’s first female governor. —Julia Manchester, The Hill, 1 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7

Rhymes for commonwealth

• telehealth
• bridewealth
• health
• stealth
• wealth

Kids Definition

commonwealth

noun

com·​mon·​wealth -ˌwelth 

1

: a political unit (as a nation or state)

2

: a state of the U.S.

—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

Legal Definition

commonwealth

noun

com·​mon·​wealth ˈkä-mən-ˌwelth 

1

: a nation, state, or other political unit: as

a

: one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement by the people for the common good

b

: one in which supreme authority is vested in the people

c

: republic

2

: a state of the U.S.

—used officially of Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

3

often capitalized : an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)

4

often capitalized : a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the U.S.

—used officially of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands