nativism
Americannoun
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the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.
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the policy or practice of preserving or reviving an Indigenous culture.
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Philosophy. the doctrine that innate ideas exist.
noun
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the policy of favouring the natives of a country over the immigrants
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anthropol the policy of protecting and reaffirming native tribal cultures in reaction to acculturation
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the doctrine that the mind and its capacities are innately structured and that much knowledge is innate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nativism
Explanation
People who oppose immigration because they feel their culture will be lost or blended in with a new one can be said to believe in nativism. There have been times in history that nativism allowed a culture to survive, particularly Native American Indian tribes. When the dominant group practices nativism, however, the result looks a lot like a hatred or fear of people who look different, speak a different language, and hold different beliefs than the majority of people.
Vocabulary lists containing nativism
American History - Middle School
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American History - High School
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Chapter 25: The Jazz Age
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another case study, reckon some who know the Prime Minister's mind, of an instinct for a sliver of economic nativism.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025
And notwithstanding the constant shrieks about America’s nativism and xenophobia, the melting pot continues to burble along.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2024
Obviously there's a degree of nativism and nationalism.
From Salon • Sep. 9, 2023
For instance, nativism, an influential theory tracing back to Noam Chomsky’s early work, claims that humans learn language quickly and efficiently because they have an innate understanding of how language works.
From New York Times • May 30, 2023
And once again it became clear that one hundred years after the first Red Scare and some sixty-five after a second, nativism and a mistrust of foreigners are still very much with us.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
