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Definition of nationalism
1 : loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness (see consciousness 1c) exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups Intense nationalism was one of the causes of the war.
2 : a nationalist movement or government opposing nationalisms
From the M-W Editors
Examples of nationalism in a Sentence
The war was caused by nationalism and greed.
Nazism's almost epic nationalism appealed to downtrodden Germans still suffering the humiliation of being defeated in World War I.
Recent Examples of nationalism from the Web
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Poland’s Law and Justice Party represents perhaps the high-watermark for right-winged populist nationalism in Europe today following setbacks for similar groups in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France and Britain.
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My parents didn’t teach me to question patriotism and nationalism—the city of St. Louis did.
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Former President Barack Obama has spoken on the dangers of nationalism and President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, without actually mentioning him by name.
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Those two companies bake the idea of nationalism and history into their marketing, and a similar effect is playing out in the steel industry.
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The political views of Spetsnaz club members veer toward nationalism.
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At home, the effect was to warp Russians’ sense of reality by clouding their vision and rousing their nationalism.
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Tribe and race over country is the core of white nationalism, and racists can embrace Lee in good conscience.
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But some analysts say there may also be a less-obvious reason Biafran nationalism is surging again – the slow disappearance of the country’s history from its school curricula.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nationalism'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The difference between nationalism, patriotism, sectionalism, and jingoism
Nationalism has a number of near-synonyms, each of which carries its own distinct meaning. Patriotism is similar insofar as it emphasizes strong feelings for one’s country, but it does not necessarily imply an attitude of superiority. Sectionalism resembles nationalism in its suggestion of a geopolitical group pursuing its self-interest, but the group in question is usually smaller than an entire nation. Jingoism closely resembles nationalism in suggesting feelings of cultural superiority, but unlike nationalism, it always implies military aggressiveness.
First Known Use of nationalism
1798
Other Government and Politics Terms
NATIONALISM Defined for English Language Learners
nationalism
playDefinition of nationalism for English Language Learners
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: a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries
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: a desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own
NATIONALISM Defined for Kids
nationalism
playDefinition of nationalism for Students
: devotion to the interests of a certain country and belief that it is better and more important than other countries
Learn More about nationalism
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See words that rhyme with nationalism Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nationalism Spanish Central: Translation of nationalism Nglish: Translation of nationalism for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nationalism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nationalism
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