nationalist

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

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

Prabowo Subianto, a tub-thumping nationalist who lost the presidential election in 2014, backed Mr Baswedan.

— The Economist, "More money, less freedomSouth-East Asia’s future looks prosperous but illiberal," 18 July 2017
An American president seemingly minimizing the plight of the Jews while delivering his speech in front of a monument to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was seen as a major boon to Poland’s right-wing nationalists, the current ruling party.

— michelle ruiz, Vogue, "Protesters Trapped Melania Trump in Her Hotel at the G-20," 7 July 2017
Modi is a Hindu nationalist who has allowed violence and other forms of harassment against India's Muslim minority.

— usa today editors, USA TODAY, "Four things the U.S. and India have in common," 26 June 2017
Baluchistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists and separatists, who want a bigger share of the regional resources or outright independence, but also attacks blamed on the Pakistani Taliban and others.

— riaz khan and abdul sattar, chicagotribune.com, "Officials: 35 killed in 3 bomb attacks in 2 Pakistani cities," 23 June 2017
March 1, 1954 Four Puerto Rican nationalists entered the U.S. Capitol with automatic pistols and began shooting from an upstairs spectators’ gallery onto the crowded floor of the House, firing nearly 30 shots.

— kelcey caulder, latimes.com, "Virginia shooting: Members of Congress have been targets of attacks in the past," 14 June 2017
The 56-year-old West Point graduate had fought the Apache and Sioux in the West, the Spanish in Cuba, Filipino nationalists in their insurrection against U.S. rule and Pancho Villa in Mexico.

— erick trickey, Smithsonian, "“I Hope It Is Not Too Late”: How the U.S. Decided to Send Millions of Troops Into World War I," 12 June 2017
Where Trump is a nationalist, Macron is an internationalist who would rather make globalization work better than resist it.

— howard lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, "All in the family? NATO first-timers Trump and Macron a study in contrasts.," 25 May 2017
But that’s a couple of hundred more than 20 years ago, after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when more than a million mostly Tutsi minorities were killed over 100 days by Hutu nationalists, a conflict that spilled over into neighboring Uganda.

— andrea whittle, Condé Nast Traveler, "In Uganda and Rwanda, Gorilla Trekking Enters a New Chapter," 28 Mar. 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

Synonyms

chauvinist, flag-waver, jingo, superpatriot

Related Words

loyalist, patriot; hawk, warmonger; nativist

Near Antonyms

internationalist; neutralist

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

Trumka was among members who resigned from the American Manufacturing Council this month in protest of President Donald Trump’s tepid response to violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

— sarah mcgregor, Bloomberg.com, "AFL-CIO Leader Calls Some of Trump’s Trade Hardliners ‘Racists’," 30 Aug. 2017
Warren's appearance at Ebenezer Baptist Church comes weeks after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly.

— bill barrow, The Christian Science Monitor, "On MLK's 'I have a dream' anniversary, Warren emphasizes the intersection of race and economics," 29 Aug. 2017
A driver rammed his car into a group of protesters demonstrating against the white nationalist rally.

— char adams, PEOPLE.com, "Paris Jackson Calls Out Nazis and White Supremacists in VMAs Speech: 'We Must Resist'," 28 Aug. 2017
Statues in Baltimore and Annapolis were removed in summer 2017 following deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in neighboring Virginia while one in Frederick was removed earlier in the year.

— baltimoresun.com, "Document: Dred Scott decision," 28 Aug. 2017
Since the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia two weeks ago, one largely unanswered question has been why local police stood by for so long as rallygoers and protesters clashed in the streets.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Video Emerges of Man Firing Shot Near Protester at Charlottesville Rally," 26 Aug. 2017
Trump was widely criticized for his response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., where one woman was killed and more than two dozen injured when a man plowed into counter-protesters at the Unite the Right a white nationalist rally.

— james queally, latimes.com, "I-M-P-E-A-C-H: UC Berkeley professor who broke from Trump administration over Charlottesville speaks out," 24 Aug. 2017
After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, momentum only seems to be growing.

— stanley kay, SI.com, "Every NFL Player Who Has Protested During the National Anthem this Preseason," 22 Aug. 2017
But senior people within the White House insisted that the exit last week of Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s chief strategist and architect of his nationalist economic stance, cleared the way for a more streamlined policy process.

— bess levin, vanityfair.com, "Can the White House Buy Its Way Out of Trump’s Neo-Nazi Problem?," 21 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of nationalist

1884

nationalist Synonyms

Synonyms

chauvinist, chauvinistic, jingoist, jingoistic, nationalistic, superpatriotic

Antonyms

unpatriotic

Related Words

spread-eagle; loyal, patriotic; antiforeign, anti-immigrant, nativist, nativistic, xenophobic

Near Antonyms

internationalist

Other Government and Politics Terms

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

NATIONALIST Defined for English Language Learners

nationalist

play

noun

Definition of nationalist for English Language Learners

: a supporter of or believer in nationalism
: a member of a political group that wants to form a separate and independent nation

nationalist

adjective

Definition of nationalist for English Language Learners

: of or relating to nationalism
: of or relating to a political group that wants to form a separate and independent nation

NATIONALIST Defined for Kids

nationalist

play

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

Definition of nationalist for Students

:a person who believes that his or her country is better and more important than other countries

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nationalist

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NATIONALIST Defined for English Language Learners

nationalist

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nationalist

Definition of nationalist for English Language Learners

NATIONALIST Defined for Kids

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