Nazi

American  

[naht-see, nat-] / ˈnɑt si, ˈnæt- /

noun

plural

Nazis

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, ˈnɑːtsɪˌɪzəm, ˈnɑːtˌsɪzəm /

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

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

Etymology

Origin of Nazi

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

Example Sentences

The attacks have created unease in Russia ahead of the parade, normally a grand show of force displaying tanks and missiles, which marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The 9 May celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany, have grown in scale and pomp since the start of Vladimir Putin's rule in the early 2000s.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

TASS, Russia’s state news agency, reported a similar exchange, saying that Putin said he and Trump discussed declaring the cease-fire during upcoming Victory Day celebrations that honor the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

While the film adaptation’s political themes are toned down, the original musical focused on the dark atmosphere of the Nazi annexation of Austria and the Von Trapp family’s struggle for freedom.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

But though the Nazi government of Hitler’s Third Reich was clearly going to have to admit defeat pretty soon, they didn’t give up easily.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein