nationalist

American  

[nash-uh-nl-ist, nash-nuh-list] / ˈnæʃ ə nl ɪst, ˈnæʃ nə lɪst /

noun

• nationalists
  plural

1. a person devoted to nationalism.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of a political group advocating or fighting for national independence, a strong national government, etc.

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adjective

1. Also nationalistic. of, relating to, or promoting nationalism.

   the beginnings of a nationalist movement.

2. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or noting a political group advocating or fighting for national independence, a strong national government, etc.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antinationalist
  noun
• antinationalistic
  adjective
• hypernationalistic
  adjective
• nonnationalistic
  adjective
• pronationalist
  adjective
• pronationalistic
  adjective
• quasi-nationalistic
  adjective
• seminationalistic
  adjective
• unnationalistic
  adjective
• antinationalistically
  adverb
• nationalistically
  adverb
• nonnationalistically
  adverb
• unnationalistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nationalists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of nationalist

First recorded in 1705–15; national + -ist

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Explanation

A nationalist is a person who favors independence for a country. A Scottish nationalist, for example, believes that Scotland should be independent and separate from Great Britain. One kind of nationalist advocates political independence, feeling that her region or state would be better off as a completely separate country from the one that currently controls it. Another sort of nationalist also cares deeply for a country — believing, in fact, that her own country is better than all other countries. This type of nationalist is an extreme patriot, and the term has been around since the 1700s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nationalist nationalists

Secessionist movements regularly have "economic motivations," but typically those are married to a linguistic or nationalist component, Griffiths said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

As a Catholic, Abbott has also managed to keep a discrete distance from the evangelicals who are the backbone of the Christian nationalist movement.

From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026

The dispute led to a stand-off between Orangemen and nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown lasting almost two weeks.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

One showed a trail of lights linking the holy Muslim sites of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem accompanied by a nationalist, 19th-century Arabic poem by Egyptian poet Mahmoud Sami al-Baroudi:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

We can weave common myths such as the biblical creation story, the Dreamtime myths of Aboriginal Australians, and the nationalist myths of modern states.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

The area where it wants to walk is largely Catholic, and predominantly inhabited by pro-Irish nationalists.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Decades of conflict between predominantly Catholic nationalists seeking Irish unity and largely Protestant unionists who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom culminated in the Troubles, which killed more than 3,500 people.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Many Serb nationalists see him as a hero and protector, particularly in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska, where his death sparked vigils.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Many Indian nationalists dream of India’s emerging as a third technological pole to rival the U.S. and China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

The issue was taken up at a meeting of the National Executive Committee and my view was voted down, even by those who were considered staunch African nationalists.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

• superpatriot

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