country

noun

The territory of a nation; a sovereign state or a region once independent and still distinct in institutions, language, etc.

The inhabitants or people of a district, region, or nation; the populace, the public.

(especially British, uncountable, countable) An area of land of undefined extent; a region, a district.

(uncountable, countable) An area of land of indefinite extent or of more or less definite extent in relation to human occupation, especially characterized by its particular physical features, or its suitability for a particular activity or connected with its population (by race, dialect, culture, etc.) or a person, especially a writer, or their works.

(uncountable, usually preceded by “the”) A rural area, as opposed to a town or city; the countryside.

(Australia, usually capitalised) Traditional lands of Indigenous people with embedded cultural, spiritual, cosmological, ecological, and physical attributes and values.

(informal) The spirit of the country (rural places): the spirit of country folkways; those folkways.

(mining) The rock through which a vein of ore or coal runs.

Ellipsis of country music. [(music) A style of popular music that originated in the folk music of the rural population of the southern and western United States and characterized by string-band instruments and simple melodies.]

adjective

From or in the countryside, connected with it, or typical of it.

Of or connected to country music.

(India) Originating in India rather than being imported from abroad.

Roots

contracountr- · Latin · against, opposite

Synonyms for country

nationn staten landn countrysiden regionn arean provincesn motherlandn fatherlandn homelandn territoryn ruraladj countrifiedadj heartlandn campestraladj

Synonyms & related words for country

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of country — including nation, state, land, countryside, region, area. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to country

Explore words related to country — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include supernational, continent, commonwealth, world, borders, landmass, countrywide, abroad. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for country

Common synonyms for country include nation, state, land, countryside, region, area, provinces, motherland — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does country come from?

The word country breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root countr-, from Latin contra (“against, opposite”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.