statelet
noun/ˈsteɪtlɪt/
Etymology From state + -let.
1
Derogatory, Sometimes A very small nation-state, or a region that acts like a nation-state
- Egypt talks to Hamas but is not eager to see the radical Islamic group succeed in running a small statelet next door.2009 January 14, Steven Erlanger, Michael Slackman, “Israel Says Hamas Is Damaged, Not Destroyed”, in New York Times:
- In 2014, the European statelet of Liechtenstein followed the Swiss lead and returned $227 million that had been stolen by [Sani] Abacha's son […]2018, Oliver Bullough, chapter 12, in Moneyland, →ISBN, page 182:
1 more example
- Ms McDonald’s party has long argued that Northern Ireland is not working – a “failed statelet” being their chosen description.2021 February 2, Mike Nesbitt, “Divisive Border poll is no recipe for unity”, in The Irish Times: