loyalist

noun

ˈlȯi-ə-list How to pronounce loyalist (audio)
Definition of loyalistnext
as in patriot
a person who loves his or her country and supports its interests and policies die-hard loyalists engaging in espionage against the revolutionaries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of loyalist Trump has empowered his loyalists to try to transform the voting process. — ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026 The president was most of the way through his speech late Monday to a crowd of MAGA loyalists when the heckler briefly forced him to pause. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026 Yet that position, unpopular with factions in both parties, is also unpopular with some inside his deeply loyalist White House. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Its huge first-week per-theater average could have come mostly from A24 loyalists and Nathan Fielder fans in coastal cities. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for loyalist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loyalist
patriot
Noun
  • What is the price-current of an honest man and patriot to-day?
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Mike Levsen, a Democrat and former nonpartisan mayor of Aberdeen, South Dakota, has long viewed Thune as a patriot trying to do the right thing.
    — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of patriot

Browse Nearby Words

loyal
loyalist
loyalists
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Loyalist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loyalist. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on loyalist

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about loyalist

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All