nationalist

noun na·tion·al·ist \ ˈnash-nə-list , ˈna-shə-nə-list \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of nationalist

1 : an advocate of or believer in nationalism

2 : a member of a political party or group advocating national independence or strong national government

See nationalist defined for English-language learners

See nationalist defined for kids

Examples of nationalist in a Sentence

a staunch nationalist who favored any policy that would give the country more power in the international arena

Recent Examples of nationalist from the Web

Murfreesboro was home to a larger gathering, with 600 white nationalists or more, USA Today reports.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "White Nationalist Rallies in Tennessee Spark Counter-Protests," 28 Oct. 2017
That was the beginning of a weekend of clashes between white nationalists and white supremacists and counterprotesters that turned fatal in Charlottesville the next day.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "3 men charged in shooting after Richard Spencer speech," 20 Oct. 2017
That rally set the stage for violent protests that erupted in Charlottesville in August between white nationalists and counterprotesters.

— eric levenson, CNN, "An uneasy Florida braces for white supremacist speech and protests," 19 Oct. 2017
Spanish nationalists have blamed Catalan-language instruction as a sinister force for fostering separatist sentiments.

— alia wong, The Atlantic, "Is Catalonia Using Schools as a Political Weapon?," 3 Nov. 2017
For a brief moment Trump’s twitter was down & outside my window white nationalists were paying reparations to black people.

— toriano porter, kansascity, "Outgoing Twitter employee’s mic drop: deactivating Donald Trump’s account," 2 Nov. 2017
His angst came to a head in August, during the 10 days after a group of white nationalists marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, when Trump repeatedly fumbled his response to an incident that left one protester dead.

— william d. cohan, vanityfair.com, "Gary Cohn Can’t Quit Trump. Literally. He’s Tried More Than Once.," 13 Oct. 2017
The refugees are fleeing a crackdown by the Burmese military and persecution by militant Buddhist nationalists.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Welcome the world’s newest welcome mat," 7 Oct. 2017
Of course, The President Show wasn’t the only outlet alluding to the ties between Trump and white nationalists—but this series has shown an uncanny ability to anticipate Trump’s gaffes, even months in advance.

— laura bradley, HWD, "How The President Show Predicts Trump’s Every Move, Weeks in Advance," 24 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nationalist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of nationalist

1715

nationalist Synonyms

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

nationalist

adjective

Definition of nationalist

1 : of, relating to, or advocating nationalism

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

See nationalist defined for English-language learners

Examples of nationalist in a Sentence

The country's Nationalist Party won the election.
a nationalist rant against the immigrants supposedly flooding the country

Recent Examples of nationalist from the Web

The way most people still live in neighborhoods which are either predominantly Catholic and nationalist or Protestant and unionist.

— kevin cullen, BostonGlobe.com, "Irish hopes may be stopped at the border," 8 Apr. 2018
The nationalist Jobbik party, which has tacked towards the centre, will probably take second place.

— The Economist, "Viktor Orban is set to continue his illiberal reign," 7 Apr. 2018
Republican insiders on Capitol Hill are trying to walk President Donald Trump away from a looming trade war with China, even as Trump’s economic nationalist advisers argue that this week’s high-stakes moves on tariffs are just a negotiation.

— philip elliott, Time, "Why Trump's Trade War Could Cost Republicans the House," 6 Apr. 2018
Polls show Orban's Fidesz party with a sizable lead over Jobbik, a nationalist right-wing party, as well as the Socialist Party and other, smaller left-wing or green groups.

— Fox News, "Hungary's Orban seeks re-election on anti-migrant platform," 5 Apr. 2018
National identity Tensions between the two groups have grown in Sri Lanka since 2012, said to be fuelled by Buddhist extremists and backed by the nationalist Buddhist organisation, Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).

— y.c. orozco, Houston Chronicle, "Effort seeks to build bonds between Muslims, Latinos, one taco truck at a time," 25 Mar. 2018
This guy’s having an affair, that guy’s a drunk, this guy’s a globalist, that guy’s a nationalist.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci on Recode Decode," 22 Mar. 2018
Cohn has apparently been locked in combat with Trump's nationalist and/or protectionist economic advisers, like Peter Navarro, from day one.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Gary Cohn Risked So Much for Trump. What Did He Gain?," 7 Mar. 2018
The nationalist community in Northern Ireland sees the British as occupiers and wants their rule in the country to end.

— judith vonberg and max foster, CNN, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Northern Ireland," 23 Mar. 2018