jingoistic
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jingoistic
Explanation
If your car sports a bumper sticker that reads, "my country, right or wrong," you might be accused of being jingoistic, or of taking your love for your country way too far. The line between patriotic and jingoistic can sometimes seem vague and confusing. Both adjectives describe a devotion to one's country, but jingoistic implies a fanatical allegiance that goes beyond pride, and often includes aggression toward other countries. The word jingo, "mindless, gung-ho patriot," arose from a popular 1878 song that praised Britain's warlike stance toward Russia at the time, and came into American use in the 1890s during the Spanish-American war.
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.
What the squad subsequently encounters feels like several strains of global terrorism reconfigured into a jingoistic theme park.
From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2024
“I’m more conservative, but I’m not a typical Colonel Blimp,” Munger said in 1996, referring to the jingoistic, reactionary British cartoon character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
In recent years, the party has worked to shed its image as a bastion of jingoistic “Little Englanders” and to attract a more diverse membership.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2023
John Cena plays the jingoistic Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, who's been away in jail for four years.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2022
It does satisfy the mothers of the land at whose hearth and fireside no jingoistic war has placed an empty chair.
From Woodrow Wilson as I Know Him by Joseph P. Tumulty
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.
