nationalist

1 of 2

noun

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

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

nationalist

2 of 2

adjective

1

: 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

2

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 groups

a member of the Irish Nationalist Party

Synonyms of nationalist

Noun

• patriot
• chauvinist

Adjective

• nationalistic
• patriotic

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

Noun

Vance has been in Hungary campaigning for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a far-right nationalist. —Will Clark, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026

Among the participants were socialists, ex-royalists, liberals, feminists, and nationalists. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026

Adjective

Orbán's nationalist party has become a model for MAGA populists, particularly for its aggressive stance on immigration. —Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026

The ruling coalition includes ministers with explicit pro-settler and ethno-nationalist ideologies – most notably Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. —Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1791, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing nationalist

• anti-nationalist
• black nationalist
• Christian nationalist
• white nationalist

Rhymes for nationalist

• rationalist
• internationalist

Kids Definition

nationalist

noun

na·​tion·​al·​ist

ˈnash-nəl-əst, 

-ən-ᵊl-əst

1

: a supporter of nationalism

2

: a member of a group promoting national independence

nationalist adjective

nationalistic

ˌnash-nəl-ˈis-tik, 

-ən-ᵊl-

adjective