nationalist

1 of 2

noun

na·​tion·​al·​ist ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-list How to pronounce nationalist (audio)
plural nationalists
1
: an advocate of or believer in nationalism
2
: a member of a political party or group advocating national independence or strong national government

compare black nationalist, white nationalist

nationalist

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or advocating nationalism
2
: of, relating to, or being a political group advocating or associated with nationalism

Examples of nationalist in a Sentence

Noun a staunch nationalist who favored any policy that would give the country more power in the international arena Adjective The country's Nationalist Party won the election. most of the articles on the website are nationalist propaganda and not objective by any means
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Meanwhile, Muslim minorities are worried about their rights in several non-Muslim countries ruled by populist nationalists. Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 The Republika Srpska, led by a pugnacious Serb nationalist, Milorad Dodik, has repeatedly threatened to secede, a move that would risk setting off a new round of bloodshed. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 That ceremony marked a seismic shift away from modern India’s secular founding principles and was hailed by Hindu nationalists as a crowning moment in their decades-long campaign to reshape the nation. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 On Tuesday, Serbia’s National Assembly held a tense inaugural session as the ruling nationalists ignored the reports of vote-rigging and other irregularities. Lorne Cook, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2024 Her appointment was historic, marking the first time an Irish nationalist, who aspires to take Northern Ireland out of the U.K. and unite it with the republic, has held the post. Jill Lawless The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 6 Feb. 2024 Many Hindu nationalists believed that a Hindu temple had existed at the site before it was torn down by Muslim conquerors in the 16th century to make way for a mosque built in the name of Babur, founder of the Mughal empire. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024 Loyal Israeli citizens or Palestinian nationalists? David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 These nationalists are therefore surprised when Sikhs oppose their policies and vote against their candidates. Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2023
Adjective
By doubling down on Christian nationalist rhetoric, the former president is borrowing from a long playbook of using religion to shape his own myth. Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Parliamentary elections last October ousted the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which had ruled for eight years, and put a centrist, pro-European coalition led by Donald Tusk in power. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Delegates also use a system of proposals to publicly raise pet issues, with policy solutions ranging from practical ideas, such as reforms to parental leave or raising minimum wages for gig workers, to nationalist grandstanding over issues like cutting English lessons from the school curriculum. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Today, however, religious and nationalist forces are often political allies. Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 The leader of Northern Ireland’s moderate nationalist SDLP party, Colum Eastwood, called on London to abandon its approach. Reuters, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 During this election campaign, Mr. Prabowo has dropped his doggedly nationalist and Islamist-ally personas. Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Prigozhin's demise was followed by the arrest of other nationalist figures critical of Putin's failure to execute the war. Charles Maynes, NPR, 24 Feb. 2024 But the 1969 investiture of King Charles III as the Prince of Wales faced widespread opposition from Welsh nationalist organizations. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nationalist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nationalist was in 1775

Dictionary Entries Near nationalist

Cite this Entry

“Nationalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalist. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nationalist

noun
na·​tion·​al·​ist
ˈnash-nəl-əst,
-ən-ᵊl-əst
1
: a supporter of nationalism
2
: a member of a group promoting national independence
nationalist adjective
nationalistic
ˌnash-nəl-ˈis-tik
-ən-ᵊl-
adjective

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