as in patriots
a person who loves his or her country and supports its interests and policies
die-hard loyalists engaging in espionage against the revolutionaries
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Recent Examples of loyalists
Though hiring loyalists wasn’t a new practice, firing current workers was uncharted territory.
—
Mikayla Bunnell, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Payton loyalists always have a place, but there’s no real reason for Denver to bring back Burton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump loyalists flop all the time and live to flop once more.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has systemically undermined his country’s central bank over the past decade, firing governors who refused to cut interest rates and replacing them with political loyalists.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Al-Maliki carried out sectarian policies under the banner of de-Baathification, which was originally designed to sideline Saddam loyalists.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez has been walking a tight-rope since being backed by the US to lead the country in the interim — balancing keeping Maduro loyalists on board at home while trying to ensure the White House is happy.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Trump’s innovation was to grasp that, because the conservative movement had trained its devotees to ignore mainstream media and rely completely on information supplied by its own loyalists, his ability to control his supporters’ perceptions effectively had no limit.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
He was dragged down steps, Tazed and sprayed with chemical agents as MAGA loyalists hoping to stop the certification of President Biden’s electoral win called for Fanone to be killed with his own service weapon.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Mikayla Bunnell, Hartford Courant, 3 Feb. 2026
Payton loyalists always have a place, but there’s no real reason for Denver to bring back Burton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2026
Trump loyalists flop all the time and live to flop once more.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has systemically undermined his country’s central bank over the past decade, firing governors who refused to cut interest rates and replacing them with political loyalists.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Al-Maliki carried out sectarian policies under the banner of de-Baathification, which was originally designed to sideline Saddam loyalists.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
Rodríguez has been walking a tight-rope since being backed by the US to lead the country in the interim — balancing keeping Maduro loyalists on board at home while trying to ensure the White House is happy.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Trump’s innovation was to grasp that, because the conservative movement had trained its devotees to ignore mainstream media and rely completely on information supplied by its own loyalists, his ability to control his supporters’ perceptions effectively had no limit.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
He was dragged down steps, Tazed and sprayed with chemical agents as MAGA loyalists hoping to stop the certification of President Biden’s electoral win called for Fanone to be killed with his own service weapon.
—Brian Niemietz, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loyalists
patriots
Noun
-
These immigration and customs enforcement officers are red-blooded American patriots doing a tough job to keep our nation safe.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The lunatics who attacked the seat of government to try to change the outcome of a free and fair election are not patriots.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Loyalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loyalists. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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