na·tion·al·ist
ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-list 
plural nationalists
: an advocate of or believer in nationalism: such as
a
: a member of a political party or group advocating a government that is strongly committed to nationalism (see nationalism sense 1)
Nationalists in the United States and elsewhere advocate wide-ranging government control of the economy, most notably in the form of industrial policy, protectionism, and immigration restrictionism.—
Alex Nowrasteh and Ilya Somin
Alex Nowrasteh and Ilya Somin
b
: a member of a political party or group advocating national independence
An independent Wales, nationalists point out, would still be larger than 39 other self-sufficient nations …—Peter Stuart
Peter Stuart1
: of, relating to, or advocating nationalism
nationalist beliefs/ideologies/sentiments
After independence, nationalist fervor rejected compulsory English instruction in favor of the national language, Pilipino, which is based on Tagalog, a tongue spoken by the population around Manila.—Edwin Kiester, Jr. and Sally Valente Kiester
Edwin Kiester, Jr. and Sally Valente Kiester2
sometimes Nationalist
: of or constituting a political group or party advocating or associated with nationalism
the group's nationalist agenda
… the strength of the Nationalist vote greatly inhibits the possibility of a majority Labour government …—Brian Wilson
—often used in the capitalized names of specific groupsBrian Wilsona member of the Irish Nationalist Party
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
Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
He’s marked as a dissident for responding with defiance to lesson plans mandated by federal authorities after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that teach youngsters to become Russian nationalists.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Others have expressed concern about nationalist rhetoric and disputes over historical memory, particularly regarding Hungary’s role in the Holocaust.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nationalist
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Noun
In this case, the maximum dream of any Latin American revolutionary nationalist is to stand up to el imperio, to the Yankee Empire itself.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
He’s marked as a dissident for responding with defiance to lesson plans mandated by federal authorities after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that teach youngsters to become Russian nationalists.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
By the time Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid flamed out, Miller was already firmly ensconced with then-Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who shared his hard-line obsession with immigration, and Bannon, who provided a broader nationalist, populist scaffolding.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Others have expressed concern about nationalist rhetoric and disputes over historical memory, particularly regarding Hungary’s role in the Holocaust.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nationalist
Cite this Entry
“Nationalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalist. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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