Definition of flag-wavernext
as in nationalist
one who shows excessive favoritism towards his or her country a newspaper columnist who never manages to be anything other than a knee-jerk flag-waver

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of flag-waver Traditional Italian dance of the flag-wavers Sbandieratori doing stunts throwing their colorful flags in the air. Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 12 Feb. 2026 Onstage at this month’s AmericaFest, the annual conference hosted by Kirk’s organization Turning Point, Aldean and his wife, Brittany, spoke openly about their role as country-music flag-wavers for the MAGA movement. Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2025 For those two groups to get in not just over Carey and O’Connor, but more traditional rock and roll flag-wavers like Oasis and Lenny Kravitz, is also something of a shock. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flag-waver
nationalist
Noun
  • Nossiter said Guinea is also sensitive to the possibility that the pilots’ case could get amplified publicly by anti-Western nationalists in the country who might frame it as a sovereignty violation at a moment when Conakry is already wary of internal dissent.
    Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The Treaty of Trianon looms large in the imagination of Hungarian nationalists.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flag-waver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flag-waver. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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