nationalistic

adjective

na·​tion·​al·​is·​tic ˌna-sh(ə-)nə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce nationalistic (audio)
1
: of, favoring, or characterized by nationalism
As increasingly nationalistic, authoritarian regimes in eastern Europe trampled on the rights of all minorities in the economically beleaguered 1930s, the ethnic German communities were easily tempted by National Socialism.Christopher R. Browning
His thinking also took a peculiarly nationalistic bent, emphasizing that Buddhism had declined in India and China in turn and that Japan was now the central land of the religion.Edwin O. Reischauer
2
: of or relating to a nation
The team split its schedule between the U.S. and Mexico for 17 of the next 18 seasons before cultural and nationalistic differences between players and officials … bubbled to the top.Kevin Baxter
nationalistically adverb

Examples of nationalistic in a Sentence

the political party's nationalistic ideology a nationalistic display of the country's flag at all civic events
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Americans were suspicious about the loyalties–both religious and nationalistic–of their new neighbors with their strange language and accents. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025 These decisions suggest an effort to suppress all but the most overt nationalistic efforts from American artists, a fool’s errand given the outspoken nature of the creative community, and one that is not unfamiliar around the globe. Eric Kohn, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025 That’s a thorny line that all actors of a certain level of success need to question, as the difference between rousing Hollywood entertainment and glorifying nationalistic propaganda proves vanishing thin. Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 19 May 2025 Ever since it was announced three years ago that Pakistan was to host the Champions Trophy, the first ICC event in the country in almost three decades, everyone knew that India would be unlikely to travel there given the hard-line stance from its nationalistic government. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for nationalistic

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nationalistic was in 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Nationalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalistic. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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