as in patriots
one who shows excessive favoritism towards his or her country
a staunch nationalist who favored any policy that would give the country more power in the international arena
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 nationalists
French conservatives longed for the ancien régime of church and monarchy, German nationalists for a community rooted in native soil.
—
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Colonial repression and factionalism divided nationalists and left them fighting bitterly over who were the true heirs to the March First Movement.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Cosmopolitan progressives and conservative nationalists are at each other’s throats, including over the very meaning of the West.
—Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
On the left were environmentalists who wanted to leave carbon in the ground; on the right, MAGA nationalists who were dismantling wind farms and carrying out mass deportations.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
But Hisahito’s birth quickly changed the tide and nationalists turned against the proposal.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
By the time that war in East Asia took hold, in 1937, China was a decade into its own civil war between the nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong’s communists.
—Meredith Oyen, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Jane’s fiercely unforgiving tone was adopted by militant Irish nationalists for whom the famine stood as the ultimate proof of English perfidy.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Colonial repression and factionalism divided nationalists and left them fighting bitterly over who were the true heirs to the March First Movement.
—Kornel Chang
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Cosmopolitan progressives and conservative nationalists are at each other’s throats, including over the very meaning of the West.
—Stewart Patrick, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2025
On the left were environmentalists who wanted to leave carbon in the ground; on the right, MAGA nationalists who were dismantling wind farms and carrying out mass deportations.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
But Hisahito’s birth quickly changed the tide and nationalists turned against the proposal.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
By the time that war in East Asia took hold, in 1937, China was a decade into its own civil war between the nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong’s communists.
—Meredith Oyen, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Jane’s fiercely unforgiving tone was adopted by militant Irish nationalists for whom the famine stood as the ultimate proof of English perfidy.
—Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nationalists
Noun
-
The 2020 presidential election was stolen; vaccines are very dangerous; January 6th was a civil gathering of patriots.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
-
My campus visits are becoming like a rock concert atmosphere filled with conservative patriots.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Twenty years prior to the present day of the movie, Ray Stoker (Day-Lewis) abandoned his family to live off the grid in a hut in the woods after a scarring incident during the conflict, which pitted Catholics against Protestants within Northern Ireland, and union loyalists against republicans.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Antoni's nomination was widely criticized Antoni's selection was praised by Trump loyalists like Stephen Moore and Steve Bannon.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nationalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nationalists. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share