NATIVIST Synonyms: 23 Similar and Opposite Words

nativist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of nativist

as in nativistic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

internationalist

nativist

2 of 2

noun

as in nationalist

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 nativist

Adjective

At large right-wing events, young conservatives have consistently espoused a deeply nativist strain of politics, and expressed their fandom of Fuentes and his politics. — Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Not that extricating supply chains from China is sufficient in today’s nativist political climate. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 Aug. 2026 The sociologist Brian Donovan, in a book on the subject, describes how the hysteria over white slavery served at once as a progressive campaign against prostitution and as a vindication of nativist fear. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has taken unfair flak from nativist elements of the MAGA base. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2026 The tension between the need for new workers and resurgent nativist politics will influence who comes, who settles and who is counted among the ancestors of future generations. — Albert Sun, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Driven by the same nativist and xenophobic ideas, the United States adopted the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924, which ended mass immigration by introducing national-origin quotas designed to favor Northern and Western Europeans and exclude nonwhite immigrants almost entirely. — M. Gessen, Mercury News, 11 June 2026 Was this restrictive definition not akin to the nativist rhetoric coming from the right? — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 10 June 2026 Today, not only are these conditions under assault by a kleptocratic, nativist US federal government, but the clock seems also to be running out on their own internal contradictions. — Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026

Noun

This undiplomatic tirade went over well in the White House, but marked him as a belligerent nativist abroad and something of an isolationist at home. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nativist

Adjective

Foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Both need a robust GOP turnout to win in November and neither wants to risk alienating too many within the party’s xenophobic, anti-immigrant wing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of xenophobic

Noun

As Haitians on both sides of the island took sides, Dominican authorities demanded an apology, nationalists denounced the statement as an affront to Dominican sovereignty, and Haiti’s foreign ministry distanced the government from it.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
Though the two nations have been separate and independent since the 19th century, Dominican nationalists often foreground a 22-year period from 1822 to 1844 when Haitian troops occupied the Dominican Republic.

— Kendall Medford, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of nationalist

Adjective

This reaction is often tinged with right-wing politics—in the past year, there has been an increase in anti-immigrant, homophobic, Islamophobic, and antisemitic chants.

— Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
But the populist, anti-migrant party – which won big in England’s local elections earlier this year – clearly poses a threat to Burnham, particularly as anti-immigrant sentiments are bubbling to the surface in some parts of the country.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of anti-immigrant

Noun

There really are chauvinists out there.

— Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
Sacco knows better than most that political chauvinists of all kinds can point to past moments of injury and humiliation to justify any current cruelty or authoritarian project—an especially powerful appeal when those historical injustices are real.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025

Definition of chauvinist

Browse Nearby Words

nativisms

nativist

nativistic

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nativist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nativist. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of nativist

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

abscond

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes