xenophobic

adjective

Definition of xenophobicnext
as in nativist

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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 xenophobic Foreigners have also experienced sporadic outbursts of xenophobic violence. — 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, 20 Sep. 2026 Prevailing xenophobic notions of the time would have insisted on Bridget’s culpability, particularly when Irish women were seen as more likely to be able to swing an ax than leisurely ladies like Lizzie. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 The xenophobic portrayal of the area’s indigenous population is a whole other, uncomfortable issue. — Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 Snyder visually embodies noxious, xenophobic attitudes towards the Global South. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Latinos have been not only frequent targets of nativism and xenophobic violence but also supporters — regularly enforcers — of it. — Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026 Published a year after the start of the Iraq War, Foer’s rosy look at globalization was already passé as the US took on a more aggressive, hostile, and xenophobic posture to the rest of the world. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Africa’s biggest economy has been on a knife edge for months over growing anti-migrant sentiment and xenophobic violence in a society where one in three is unemployed, and municipal services are deteriorating. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for xenophobic
  1. nativist
  2. anti-immigrant
  3. patriotic
  4. anti-foreign
  5. loyal
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
Definition of nativist
Adjective
  • 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
  • Later, she’s brought in a police car to a nearby pond, strapped to an excavator and dunked into the water as a crowd of anti-immigrant protestors cheer on the public execution.
    — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of anti-immigrant
Adjective
  • Maybe Canada doesn’t need another billion-dollar weapons system – just a few more hockey sticks and a good dose of patriotic mischief.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top.
    — Quil Lawrence, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of patriotic
Adjective
  • From Xi Jinping’s quest to regain China’s glory, to Vladimir Putin’s attempts at a new Russian empire, to the rise of populist anti-foreign attitudes in the United States, Britain, Germany, and France, negative views of others underpin many of the conflicts in today’s world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
  • Demilitarizing those areas now would mean surrendering the CCP’s solemn mission to make China whole again and, consequently, diminishing its ability to use anti-foreign nationalism as a source of legitimacy.
    — Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
Definition of anti-foreign
Adjective
  • Both political camps inspire intensely loyal supporters — and fierce opposition.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The post goes on to say that loyal, regular customers are what kept FunDimension afloat.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of loyal

Browse Nearby Words

xenophobias
xenophobic
xerothermic
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Cite this Entry

“Xenophobic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/xenophobic. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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