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
That’s unhealthy for the body politic — and for voters themselves.
—
Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
There was his body natural—the one that loved, and ate, and suffered, and died—and then there was the body politic, the eternal guardian and embodiment of the English people.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024
Any possible cure, however, has as a fundamental element the body politic’s vestment in civility.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
There was his body natural—the one that loved, and ate, and suffered, and died—and then there was the body politic, the eternal guardian and embodiment of the English people.
—Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024
Any possible cure, however, has as a fundamental element the body politic’s vestment in civility.
—Blake D. Morant, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
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
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 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share