na·tion·al·ist
ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-list 
plural nationalists
: an advocate of or believer in nationalism: such as
a
: a member of a political party or group advocating a government that is strongly committed to nationalism (see nationalism sense 1)
Nationalists in the United States and elsewhere advocate wide-ranging government control of the economy, most notably in the form of industrial policy, protectionism, and immigration restrictionism.—
Alex Nowrasteh and Ilya Somin
Alex Nowrasteh and Ilya Somin
b
: a member of a political party or group advocating national independence
An independent Wales, nationalists point out, would still be larger than 39 other self-sufficient nations …—Peter Stuart
Peter Stuart1
: of, relating to, or advocating nationalism
nationalist beliefs/ideologies/sentiments
After independence, nationalist fervor rejected compulsory English instruction in favor of the national language, Pilipino, which is based on Tagalog, a tongue spoken by the population around Manila.—Edwin Kiester, Jr. and Sally Valente Kiester
Edwin Kiester, Jr. and Sally Valente Kiester2
sometimes Nationalist
: of or constituting a political group or party advocating or associated with nationalism
the group's nationalist agenda
… the strength of the Nationalist vote greatly inhibits the possibility of a majority Labour government …—Brian Wilson
—often used in the capitalized names of specific groupsBrian Wilsona member of the Irish Nationalist Party
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.
most of the articles on the website are nationalist propaganda and not objective by any means
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Broderick, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
In 1954, 17 Puerto Rican nationalists were convicted or pleaded guilty to sedition charges.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Nov. 2025
The trend has elicited some concern from the largely liberal institutions that still dominate the EU, with some evoking parallels to the nationalist-populist swell that fueled the rise of antisemitic fascist movements such as the Nazis of Germany.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalist
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Noun
Trump can be seen as a bastion of free trade for the Silicon Valley capitalists, a beacon of white Christian America to the heartland Evangelicals, and a fascist demagogue to the blood and soil nationalists.
—Ryan Broderick, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
In 1954, 17 Puerto Rican nationalists were convicted or pleaded guilty to sedition charges.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
But in both countries, the Christian nationalist movement is trying to end that.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 23 Nov. 2025
The trend has elicited some concern from the largely liberal institutions that still dominate the EU, with some evoking parallels to the nationalist-populist swell that fueled the rise of antisemitic fascist movements such as the Nazis of Germany.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalist
Cite this Entry
“Nationalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalist. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
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