polity

noun

pol·​i·​ty ˈpä-lə-tē 

plural polities

1

: political organization

2

: a specific form of political organization

3

: a politically organized unit

4

a

: the form or constitution of a politically organized unit

b

: the form of government of a religious denomination

Examples of polity in a Sentence

the polities of medieval Italy

Recent Examples on the Web

This is not a unitary polity, where the president decides for everyone, but 50 sovereign states that joined in union. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025

Less happy was Andrew Johnson's use of his pardoning powers after the Civil War to invite basically unrepentant former Confederates back into full membership in the American polity. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Healthy democracy, like good health, requires adherence to a particular set of norms and behaviors, and the price of neglect is not just sick polities but sick people. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

Humanity, or at least parts of it, is building understanding about populations, demographies, personalities, and polities. —Joanna J. Bryson, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Late Latin polītīa "citizenship, political organization, constitution of a state, administrative direction," with ending conformed to -ity — more at police entry 1

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1