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

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 The challenge is to negotiate support from Basque nationalists who are withholding their backing amid anger over a legal crackdown on the independence movement in Catalonia. — Maria Tadeo, Bloomberg.com, "Rajoy Presents Spanish Budget in Shadow of Catalan Confrontation," 3 Apr. 2018 Others have faced online abuse and death threats from Buddhist nationalists. — The Economist, "Arresting the messengerPress freedom is waning in Myanmar," 8 Mar. 2018 Notably absent were nationalists, leaving open the question of how much sway the new alliance could have without expanding further. — Lori Hinnant, The Seattle Times, "Tech could unite Europe’s populists ahead of EU vote in May," 19 Feb. 2019 Despite its early and continuing lead in the polls, the no campaign has seemed the less confident of the two efforts, struggling to combat the passion of committed nationalists with pragmatic arguments in favor of maintaining the status quo. — Miranda Green, Newsweek, "The Scottish Referendum Could Spell the End of the U.K.," 17 July 2014 Still, early on the Brothers enjoyed good relations with Gulf rulers, who thought them useful against nationalists and leftists. — The Economist, "Muslims but not brothersSaudi Arabia turns against political Islam," 23 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

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 Salvini has often used fiery rhetoric to boost his party's popularity and push a more nationalist agenda. — Lauren Said-moorhouse And Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN, "Meet the populist players about to take power in Italy," 1 June 2018 The right-wing nationalist prime minister projected himself as a savior of Hungary's Christian culture against Muslim migration into Europe, an image which resonated with millions of voters, especially in rural areas. — NBC News, "Hungary's Viktor Orban secures another election victory," 9 Apr. 2018 Ayelet Shaked, the nationalist justice minister, is trying to change the way judges are appointed, handing power to the Knesset instead of a judiciary seen as leftist. — Gregg Carlstrom, Newsweek, "The Fall of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Future of Israel," 15 Mar. 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.