nationalist

noun

na·tion·al·ist | \ ˈnash-nə-list

, ˈna-shə-nə-list\

Definition of nationalist

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an advocate of or believer in nationalism

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

nationalist

adjective

Definition of nationalist (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or advocating nationalism

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

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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. a nationalist rant against the immigrants supposedly flooding the country

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Photo: Matthias Oesterle/Zuma Press The previous administration imposed direct rule from Madrid on Catalonia after Catalan nationalists in 2017 tried to declare independence from the rest of Spain. — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Spain Is Pushed Closer to Snap Elections by Trial of Catalan Separatists," 12 Feb. 2019 The rift soon widened to broader cultural and political issues separating Northern Ireland's British unionists and Irish nationalists, and attempts to restore the government have stalled. — Fox News, "Protests planned as N Ireland matches no-government record," 28 Aug. 2018 At the same time, both Macron and Merkel are under pressure to prove the value of the E.U. to their voters in the face of insurgent, Eurosceptical right-wing nationalists. — Jonah Shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Germany’s Political Turmoil Is Bad News for Europe," 15 Jan. 2018 The girl, who was Muslim, was gang raped and murdered by a group of Hindu men in January, and Hindu nationalists in the area rallied around the accused to protect them from prosecution. — Kai Schultz, New York Times, "After Gang Rape of Girl, 16, First a Fine, and Then a Murder," 5 May 2018 Police had cordoned off all approaches to Psarades to prevent protesters from reaching the site, so more than 4,000 Greek nationalists gathered near Pissoderi, a village 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. — Washington Post, "Greece, Macedonia sign deal ending yearslong name dispute," 18 June 2018 Turkish nationalists consider the Uighurs to be kin. — Josh Chin, WSJ, "Turkey Calls on China to End Mass Incarceration of Muslim Uighurs," 10 Feb. 2019 In many ways, Macron and Trump were polar opposites in style and policy, pitting a young global-minded intellectual against an aging nationalist. — Time, "The Trump-Macron Friendship Is Falling Apart at the G-7. That Spells Trouble for the French President," 8 June 2018 The decision to renovate the 5,100-ton, 106-meter (350-foot) vessel has triggered anger from Croatia’s nationalists. — Washington Post, "Ex-Yugo autocratic leader’s iconic yacht given new life," 23 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Analysts have warned that Lavrov's visit ahead of the vote could be seen as support for the nationalist Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik, an ally of Moscow. — Radul Radovanovic, Fox News, "Lavrov says Russia won't interfere in Bosnia Oct. 7 election," 21 Sep. 2018 Bannon then went to Washington with the President-elect to advance the chief strategist’s anti-immigration, anti-corporate, nationalist agenda, whether or not Trump fully agreed with it. — Nancy Gibbs, Time, "The Unpresident: Why Donald Trump Will Never Change," 11 Jan. 2018 In Finland, the nationalist Finns Party is polling in second place. — Jari Tanner, The Seattle Times, "Finns to vote on how best to save their welfare state," 12 Apr. 2019 Well, every Democrat -- every successful Democratic president in the 20th century was a dedicated nationalist to one extent or another. — Fox News, "Rep. Trey Gowdy on Dems' behavior at Kavanaugh hearings," 6 Sep. 2018 Putin’s opponents on Sunday’s ballot included a nationalist, a Communist, and two liberals. — Anton Troianovski, BostonGlobe.com, "Putin claims victory in Russia’s presidential election," 18 Mar. 2018 Though Scotland’s nationalist leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has been cautious about the prospect of a second referendum, her Catalan counterparts have recklessly disregarded democratic and constitutional norms in their push for independence. — The Economist, "The siren call of separatism," 12 July 2018 Croatia's pro-independence nationalist leader Franjo Tudjman, a big football fan, had been elected president of what was still the Yugoslav republic only three days earlier. — Lajla Veselica And Nicolas Gaudichet, chicagotribune.com, "Croatia's World Cup quarterfinals run revives national pride," 5 July 2018 The presence of the nationalist American leader divided participants at Davos, which is in part a celebration of globalism by the world’s financial and government elite. — Michael Zennie, Fortune, "President Trump at Davos Says 'America First' Is Good for the World," 26 Jan. 2018

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.