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
Hundreds of thousands of Russians have left the country in the last two years; for the Kremlin, the war has been a cleansing of the body politic.
—
Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2024
His populist rhetoric about corporate greed and elites touched prevailing currents that were coursing through the body politic.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2024
What remains clear, however, is the pivotal point that any hope for the body politic to disagree yet come together for the sake of democratic compromise can only be achieved through some universal fostering of civility.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
Former president Donald Trump was wounded in the right ear and will recover; the body politic was wounded far more deeply, and the prognosis isn’t clear.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 14 July 2024
Nearly a century later, the United States again faces epic threats to the body politic: the COVID-19 pandemic, a sharp economic downturn, and attacks on its democratic institutions.
—Meg Jacobs, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
So, the combination of general tax animus and anti-government sentiment — along with all the other weird stuff currently infecting the body politic — explain why polls continue to reveal this grim public view.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2024
And maybe Lincoln, who illuminates the body politic on so many levels, and articulates things so beautifully, can remind us about what our open country produced.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
On the other hand, nativists pushed for Asian immigrants’ removal from the body politic, offering a narrow vision of belonging in the United States.
—Theodore S. Gonzalves, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024
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illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2024
His populist rhetoric about corporate greed and elites touched prevailing currents that were coursing through the body politic.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2024
What remains clear, however, is the pivotal point that any hope for the body politic to disagree yet come together for the sake of democratic compromise can only be achieved through some universal fostering of civility.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
Former president Donald Trump was wounded in the right ear and will recover; the body politic was wounded far more deeply, and the prognosis isn’t clear.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 14 July 2024
Nearly a century later, the United States again faces epic threats to the body politic: the COVID-19 pandemic, a sharp economic downturn, and attacks on its democratic institutions.
—Meg Jacobs, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2020
So, the combination of general tax animus and anti-government sentiment — along with all the other weird stuff currently infecting the body politic — explain why polls continue to reveal this grim public view.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2024
And maybe Lincoln, who illuminates the body politic on so many levels, and articulates things so beautifully, can remind us about what our open country produced.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
On the other hand, nativists pushed for Asian immigrants’ removal from the body politic, offering a narrow vision of belonging in the United States.
—Theodore S. Gonzalves, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near the body politic
Cite this Entry
“The body politic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20body%20politic. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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