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
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Recent Examples of nationalists
Though the Cuban nationalists’ victory was all but assured, the United States entered the fray and swiftly imposed a military occupation over the island.
—
Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
In the mid-1930s, the Spanish Civil War between the fascist forces of Franco and the nationalists was a harbinger that a second general European war lay just over the horizon.
—Christopher C. Gorham
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
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
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
Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
In the mid-1930s, the Spanish Civil War between the fascist forces of Franco and the nationalists was a harbinger that a second general European war lay just over the horizon.
—Christopher C. Gorham
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
-
Macron, unwilling to cede government leadership to either side, instead appointed loyalists to lead minority governments but these have proven vulnerable to no-confidence motions from rival parties.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Featuring a balanced midsole, a tall, padded heel, and an extended crash pad, many Hoka loyalists report that this underrated silhouette is their favorite from the brand.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nationalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nationalists. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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