1
as in patriotic
having or showing love and support for one's country
a nationalistic display of the country's flag at all civic events
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nationalist
having or showing excessive favoritism towards one's own country
a nationalistic economic policy that raises up enormous barriers against the importation of goods from other countries
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of nationalistic
Drunken heckling of a nationalistic speech in Peter Pan also acts as a reminder that the novel’s world exists in the shadow of history.
—
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike others of his ilk, Elon Musk, nominally more interested in colonizing Mars than other parts of Earth, appears to see the annexation of Greenland as a purely nationalistic venture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet Iran is also deeply nationalistic, and even among the remaining 80 percent, support for foreign military intervention has historically been uncertain.
—Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s a world in which Minus One is disquieting, where the nuisance of who started that war is totally lost and instead we’re treated to a nationalistic uprising.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nationalistic
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike others of his ilk, Elon Musk, nominally more interested in colonizing Mars than other parts of Earth, appears to see the annexation of Greenland as a purely nationalistic venture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
Yet Iran is also deeply nationalistic, and even among the remaining 80 percent, support for foreign military intervention has historically been uncertain.
—Kay Armin Serjoie, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s a world in which Minus One is disquieting, where the nuisance of who started that war is totally lost and instead we’re treated to a nationalistic uprising.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nationalistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nationalistic
Adjective
-
On August 12, the general was greeted in New Haven with patriotic fervor.—
Regina E. Mason,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Then, season 16 had the patriotic funk-song challenge, where nobody went home, and season 17 had the makeover episode.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
During the 1930s and 1940s, Syrian nationalist movements grew stronger, pushing for independence from French rule, which was achieved in 1946.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Israeli leaders may be well protected from Iranian nationalist plots.—
Robert A. Pape In The Los Angeles Times,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nationalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nationalistic. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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