Nazi

American  

[naht-see, nat-] / ˈnɑt si, ˈnæt- /

noun

• Nazis
  plural

1. a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler and advocated totalitarian government, territorial expansion, antisemitism, and Aryan supremacy, all these leading directly to World War II and the Holocaust.

2. (often lowercase) a person elsewhere who holds similar views.

3. (often lowercase) a person who is fanatically dedicated to or seeks to regulate a specified activity, practice, etc..

   a jazz nazi who disdains other forms of music;

   health nazis trying to ban junk food.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Nazis.

Nazi British  

/ ˈnɑːtsɪ /

noun

1. a member of the fascist National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was founded in 1919 and seized political control in Germany in 1933 under Adolf Hitler

2. derogatory anyone who thinks or acts like a Nazi, esp showing racism, brutality, etc

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adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Nazis

Sensitive Note

Nazi in the extended sense of “a fanatical or domineering person” has existed at least since 1980 and parallels the use of the word police in the language police/the grammar police . Though this usage of Nazi is usually intended as jocular, it implies being intolerant of other people’s views and practices. And many people consider any extended use of the word Nazi to be offensive, in that it trivializes the terrible crimes of the German Nazis.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Nazism
  noun
• anti-Nazi
  adjective
• pro-Nazi
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Nazis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Nazi

First recorded in 1930–35; from German Nazi, short for Nationalsozialist “National Socialist”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Nazi Nazis

The first ballistic missiles were used by Nazi Germany against the U.K. in World War II in attacks the British found almost impossible to stop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Esther Rantzen surprised Nicholas Winton with an audience of children, now grown up, that he had rescued from Nazi forces during World War II.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Several Russian officials welcomed the planned shows, while others expressed concerns about the rapper's past comments glorifying Nazi Germany, a sensitive issue in Russia.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Successive U.S.-Danish agreements, dating back to the early months of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Denmark, have given the American military broad rights to station troops, build bases, operate ports or fly warplanes in Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

‘I wasn’t planning on running into a Nazi soldier,’ Hannie says.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Russia was invaded by the Nazis in World War Two, and the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman was among who criticised the planned shows.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Brecht’s furiously unsentimental farces got him harangued — first by the Nazis, then by the House Un-American Activities Committee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

In the aftermath of World War II, Austria long presented itself as a victim of the Nazis, ignoring the complicity of many Austrians.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

"We didn't see any Nazis in the audience, by the way," Villuendas noted.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

So, while the Nazis did increase the number of new jobs by building and repairing roads, railways, and houses as well as building up their military, they also took employment away from other Germans.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple