Definition of nationality
nationalities
1 : national character the nationality of Ireland is in her songs and in her stories, and in her chronicles and in her tradition — W. B. Yeats
2 : nationalism 1
3a : national status; specifically : a legal relationship involving allegiance on the part of an individual and usually protection on the part of the state nationality bestowed by birthb : membership in a particular nation Vietnamese nationality
4 : political independence or existence as a separate nation
5a : a people having a common origin, tradition, and language and capable of forming or actually constituting a nation-state The diverse nationalities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire desired independence.b : an ethnic group constituting one element of a larger unit (such as a nation) The country is home to five nationalities.
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Examples of nationality in a Sentence
The country is home to five nationalities and seven languages.
people of all races and nationalities
She's American, but her parents are of Japanese nationality.
He has held French nationality for the past 20 years.
The university has students of over 50 nationalities.
Recent Examples of nationality from the Web
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But at that point in the evening (and even by Sunday morning), London authorities had not released any information on the identities, ethnicities or nationalities of the suspects in the attack.
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Waad’s dissolution comes a week after five people died in a police raid on the hometown of a prominent Shiite cleric who was stripped of his nationality and faces possible deportation.
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Whether that means because of Jinder's nationality or his win-loss record wasn't explained.
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Artists chosen to perform at the festival, now in its 11th year, also act as curators for their own mini-lineups of acts that span genres and nationalities.
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Two perks of birth are nationality and citizenship.
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But there were Americans on Michigan Avenue as well, of different nationalities, but walking as Americans walk, heads up, arms at their sides, the distinctive walk of a confident, free people.
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Oria Puppo’s costumes are robes representing no particular style or nationality.
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Mark Webber goes on in his friendly Australian way as do some of the others, inflecting their individual nationalities.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nationality'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1691
First Known Use of nationality
1691
Other Government and Politics Terms
NATIONALITY Defined for English Language Learners
nationality
playDefinition of nationality for English Language Learners
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: a group of people who share the same history, traditions, and language, and who usually live together in a particular country
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: the fact or status of being a member or citizen of a particular nation
NATIONALITY Defined for Kids
nationality
playDefinition of nationality for Students
nationalities
1 : the fact or state of belonging to a particular country
2 : the state of being a separate country
3 : a group of people having a common history, tradition, culture, or language
Learn More about nationality
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See words that rhyme with nationality Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nationality Spanish Central: Translation of nationality Nglish: Translation of nationality for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of nationality for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nationality
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