Sandinista

noun

San·​di·​nis·​ta ˌsan-də-ˈnēs-tə How to pronounce Sandinista (audio)
ˌsän-
: a member of a military and political coalition holding power in Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990

Examples of Sandinista in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web President Ortega, 78, came to power as a leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front that ousted a right-wing dictator in 1979. James Wagner, New York Times, 16 Dec. 2023 When Ortega served as president in the 1980s, Ramírez was his vice president but was ultimately marginalized by political intrigues within the once revolutionary Sandinista Party. Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023 During the 1980s, amid the fight with U.S.-backed Contra rebels, the paper grew critical of the Sandinista government and its economic policies - drawing attacks, accusations of publishing U.S. propaganda and periods of censorship. Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 27 July 2023 Ortega, 77, a former guerrilla leader of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, which overthrew the U.S.-backed Somoza dictatorship in 1979, is serving his fourth uninterrupted term as president. Paulina Villegas, Washington Post, 12 May 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, from Augusto César Sandino †1933 Nicaraguan rebel leader

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Sandinista was in 1974

Dictionary Entries Near Sandinista

Cite this Entry

“Sandinista.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sandinista. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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