patriotic

adjective

pa·​tri·​ot·​ic ˌpā-trē-ˈä-tik 

 chiefly British  ˌpa-

1

: inspired by patriotism

stirring patriotic songs

patriotic organizations

patriotic feelings

2

: befitting or characteristic of a patriot

patriotically

ˌpā-trē-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

 chiefly British  ˌpa-

adverb

Synonyms

• nationalistic
• nationalist

Examples of patriotic in a Sentence

A patriotic fervor swept the country.

hanging a flag outside one's home is a patriotic gesture

Recent Examples on the Web

Toward the beginning of Infinite, the game interrupts the player’s stroll through patriotic fairgrounds to reveal a mob about to murder an interracial couple. —G Kirilloff, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Her record is as patriotic as any and more courageous than most. —Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025

This was a very common patriotic project for volunteer laborers in late‑war Japan—especially among those either too old or too young to perform more demanding and exacting full‑time war plant work. —Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025

Another collection depicts patriotic themes on covers of Superman and other comic books. —Jack Schnedler, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for patriotic

• abiotic
• aeronautic
• apoptotic
• asymptotic
• cyanotic
• eukaryotic
• idiotic
• meiotic
• prebiotic
• probiotic
• prokaryotic
• semiotic

Kids Definition

patriotic

adjective

pa·​tri·​ot·​ic ˌpā-trē-ˈät-ik 

1

: having or showing patriotism

2

: suitable or proper for a patriot

patriotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb