peoplehood

noun

peo·​ple·​hood ˈpē-pəl-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce peoplehood (audio)
1
: the quality or state of constituting a people
2
: the awareness of the underlying unity that makes the individual a part of a people

Examples of peoplehood in a Sentence

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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.
The pogroms against Jews in Eastern Europe and other developments, including the 1967 War, moved Reform Jews to strongly emphasize the need to defend Israel as essential to Jewish peoplehood and self-determination. — Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2023 By the time Zelensky came of age, three or four generations of Soviet Jews had experienced their Jewish identity as a hollow thing, nothing but a black mark on a passport and a sense of peoplehood born of exclusion and a second-class status. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of peoplehood was circa 1899

Rhymes for peoplehood

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Browse Nearby Words

peopledom
peoplehood
peopleize
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Cite this Entry

“Peoplehood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peoplehood. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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