nation-state, a territorially bounded sovereign polity—i.e., a state—that is ruled in the name of a community of citizens who identify themselves as a nation. ... Members of the core national group see the state as belonging to them and consider the approximate territory of the state to be their homeland.

What do nation-state mean?

: a form of political organization under which a relatively homogeneous people inhabits a sovereign state especially : a state containing one as opposed to several nationalities.

What does nation-state mean in simple terms?

The definition of a nation-state is a self-governed political entity occupied by people who speak the same language and share a common history and culture. An example of a nation-state is Egypt. ... The modern nation as the representative unit of political organization.