Nation-Country | Commonly Confused Words

Nation

/ˈneɪʃən/

A large group of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

The behaviour of nations has always been despicable.It is the essential duty of every nation.There is my nation!'

This word has no antonyms

/ˈkʌntrɪ/

An area of land that is controlled by a government and recognized as a nation

There are now only three great countries in the world.A terrible disease came to this country.Here is the country road, and here is the day.

This word has no antonyms

A nation refers more to a cultural and ethnic identity, while a country is a defined political state with borders.
Think of nation as a group of people with common heritage, and country as a geographic region under one government.
A country can contain multiple nations if there are diverse cultural groups within its borders.
While all countries are not nations, all nations seek some form of recognition often within a country.
Historically, nations have existed for centuries whereas countries are more about political states formed over time.