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

But by then, the alliance between French parties beholden to Moscow and nationalists skeptical of the European project (and of ties with America) was simply too strong—a precursor of sorts to political dynamics in Europe today. — Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ, "Is Europe Ready to Defend Itself?," 4 Jan. 2019 Dropping the worst of their own anti-gay tendencies allows nationalists to project themselves as the true guardians of tolerance. — The Economist, "Europe’s anti-immigrant parties are becoming more gay-friendly," 5 July 2018 She and others, including European officials, point to various signs of support from the administration for Europe’s populists and nationalists who target the EU as their worst enemy. — Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, "Backdrop for Putin summit: A pattern of Trump disrespecting allies?," 2 July 2018 Like the vote against Mr. Rajoy, his government will rely on support from the far-left Podemos party and nationalists from Catalonia and the Basque region. — Raphael Minder, New York Times, "Spain Swears In Pedro Sánchez as Prime Minister, Capping Week of Upheaval," 2 June 2018 These students are largely the children of Kemalists, leftists, liberals, and nationalists, with a handful of Islamists or Erdogan sympathizers, as well as some Kurds. — Suzy Hansen, The New Republic, "“What Difference Is Trump for Us?”," 24 Apr. 2018 Look at these salt-of-the-earth, blue-collar nationalists enjoying good old-fashioned American heur d’oeuvres. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Mnuchin: Davos Is Not ‘a Hangout for Globalists’," 11 Jan. 2018 Mahathir was a maverick Malay nationalist in the early days of his political career who survived expulsion from the dominant United Malays National Organization party, and became the first commoner prime minister of Malaysia. — Stephen Wright And Eileen Ng, Fox News, "Ex-strongman seeks legacy as savior of Malaysia's democracy," 11 May 2018 Zach Gibson/Getty Images One of the most vocal Christian nationalists in the Trump administration is leaving his post. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Jeff Sessions helped create Trump’s brand of evangelical patriotism. It will outlast him.," 7 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

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 He is therefore heartened by the revival of nationalist sentiment in the West. — Jason Willick, WSJ, "‘The Virtue of Nationalism’ and ‘The Nationalist Revival’ Review: Against the Liberal Empire," 9 Oct. 2018 And even the arguments against Trump, going around this really nationalist line. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "‘Sorry to Bother You’ director Boots Riley suspects social media platforms are hiding politics they don’t like," 8 Oct. 2018 Bavaria is currently experiencing a nationalist resurgence, which has Europe and the rest of Germany worried. — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Perfect Long Weekend in Bavaria," 17 Sep. 2018 But the rise of cheap meats—fueled by hot dogs but also salisbury steaks—fed into more nationalist sentiments, too. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "Why Do Carrot Hot Dogs Make You So Mad?," 3 July 2018 The elections marked a rise in nationalist sentiment. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 28 June 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.