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Glite Dictionary
comity of nations

comity of nations

8.8
When countries respect each other's laws and systems, they cooperate peacefully
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒmɪti əv ˈneɪʃənz/
  • Formal
translation icon : comidad de naciones
  • Under the comity of nations, countries respect each other's laws, helping to promote international peace.

Examples

  • The comity of nations encourages countries to resolve their disputes through dialogue rather than conflict.

  • Because even when Germans are not thinking about Jews, the Nazi past and their place in the comity of nations preoccupies them.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The diplomat emphasized the importance of the comity of nations for fostering cooperation on global issues.

Synonyms

amity
vscomity of nations
5 7.4

A friendly, peaceful relationship between people or countries

focuses on formal mutual respect for laws and institutions rather than simple friendship
comity
vscomity of nations
  • Formal
4 9.9

Courteous behaviour and respect between people or groups

is a formal principle guiding mutual legal and institutional respect between countries

Antonyms

disrespect
133 3.4

Rude behavior or words that show a lack of respect for someone

hostility
50 5.2

Violent acts between groups or countries

How Cooperative

alliance
832 4.0
comity of nations
  • Formal
8.8
neutral
2 4.2

Surface Forms

comity of nations singular
comities of nations plural

Morphology

comity + of + nation

The headword 'comity' means mutual respect or harmonious relations and combining it with 'of nations' yields the literal idea of mutual respect among countries; this composition follows normal English noun + of + noun patterns. Because the meaning is directly built from the known constituents and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, a learner who knows the component words would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Comity of nations comes from the idea of polite, friendly behavior between countries. Comity means 'polite respect' and nations are 'countries', so when countries treat each other's laws and systems with this courtesy they can cooperate and keep peaceful relations.