nativist 1 of 2

Definition of nativistnext

nativist

2 of 2

noun

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
The wave of arrivals that began in the last decades of the 19th century sparked a range of nativist and exclusionary movements—particularly against East Asians—and considerable anxiety about those deemed too alien to integrate into the culture. Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026 As in America, nativist anxieties have accelerated a reactionary political movement. Colton Valentine, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026 For a local political aspirant seeking to burnish her nativist credentials, the chance to trigger an international incident was apparently irresistible. Bobby Ghosh, Time, 18 Jan. 2026 Its rise is partly due to its strong, virulently nativist campaign against immigrants, calling for mass deportation. Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 20 Dec. 2025 Such concerns tend to be either economic in focus (forecasting stark drops in growth and productivity as populations age and shrink) or nativist (fearing that national identities will erode as populations dwindle and countries seek immigrants to make up for shrinking workforces). Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 Soon nativist worries about the newcomers, especially Catholics and Jews, led Coolidge to sign the Immigration Act of 1924, which would largely close America’s borders for four decades. Thomas Tweed, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2025 Many of the racist, nativist vulgarities spoken out loud in Paul Thomas Anderson’s marvelous new film One Battle After Another evoke sentiments that, in our world, first fomented online. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025 New York still needs such a place, even with a nativist-in-chief in the White House. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Sep. 2025
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
Noun
  • The 23-year-old student, described as a fervent nationalist, was beaten by a group of people earlier this month in the city of Lyon, in fighting that erupted between far-left and far-right activists.
    ABC News, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Koestler, a British citizen raised in Budapest, remained a Hungarian soccer nationalist all his life.
    Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Vice President Kamala Harris became his successor, and adopted Biden’s same pro-Israel, Republican-friendly, and xenophobic platform.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Even with an immigrant population of a mere three percent, xenophobic sentiment has been growing in Japan.
    Jeff Kingston, Time, 15 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • King’s straight-sets triumph over the braggadocious chauvinist wasn’t much in doubt once the players were on the court, though there was plenty of speculation leading up to the match.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Migration over the past decade has stirred right-wing, anti-immigrant sentiment in some parts of Europe.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Ratcliffe’s comments align with the arguments made by Britain’s right-wing populist Reform UK party, which ties its anti-immigrant message to protecting the country.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Demonstrators chanted until the end of the one-hour presentation as patriotic music, some in Persian, filled the surrounding area.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Maybe reaching patriotic Judeo-Christian nirvana should feel like the unbearable lightness of an emptied mind.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Nativist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nativist. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

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