nationalist

American  

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

noun

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

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

Etymology

Origin of nationalist

First recorded in 1705–15; national + -ist

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

HMS Amethyst was caught up in fighting between nationalist and communist forces on the River Yangtze in April 1949.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

The Rev. Rob Schenck, a former Christian nationalist who once ministered to the right in Washington, told me that Suozzi said at the time that he was living at C Street.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

Reading Mr. Perl-Rosenthal makes one long for a time when nationalist platitudes and uncritical patriotism were suspect—and when the Fourth of July was both a celebration and a challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Natalia Kravtsova's son, Artem, a fighter with Ukraine's nationalist Azov brigade, was taken prisoner in Mariupol in May 2022.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Right under Mobutu’s nose, he discovered the writings of the great African nationalist Kwame Nkrumah, and the poetry of a young doctor in Angola, Agostinho Neto, with whom he started up a correspondence.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• superpatriot