nationalist
Americannoun
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a person devoted to nationalism.
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(initial capital letter) a member of a political group advocating or fighting for national independence, a strong national government, etc.
adjective
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Also nationalistic. of, relating to, or promoting nationalism.
the beginnings of a nationalist movement.
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(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
- antinationalist noun
- antinationalistic adjective
- antinationalistically adverb
- hypernationalistic adjective
- nationalistically adverb
- nonnationalistic adjective
- nonnationalistically adverb
- pronationalist adjective
- pronationalistic adjective
- quasi-nationalistic adjective
- seminationalistic adjective
- unnationalistic adjective
- unnationalistically adverb
Etymology
Origin of nationalist
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.
Ultimately, he became a nationalist, and he paid plenty of attention to political borders.
From Slate • Mar. 2, 2026
In other words, they want to separate the intensely nationalist and heavily commercialized Olympic movement from the crucial mission of preventing abuse in amateur sports.
From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026
“Manifest Destiny gets coined as a term, and you had this nationalist, expansionist mindset.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
For the talks in Geneva, the Kremlin reinstated nationalist hawk and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as its lead negotiator.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Aunt Pearl sailed serenely past the nationalist rally, the three girls clustered around her like starched white tugboats escorting a blue cotton ocean liner.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
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.
