nationality

American  

[nash-uh-nal-i-tee] / ˌnæʃ əˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

• nationalities
  plural

1. the status of belonging to a particular nation, whether by birth or naturalization.

   the nationality of an immigrant.

2. the relationship of property, holdings, etc., to a particular nation, or to one or more of its members.

   the nationality of a ship.

3. nationalism.

4. existence as a distinct nation; national independence.

   a small colony that has just achieved nationality.

5. a nation or people.

   the nationalities of the Americas.

6. a national quality or character.

   Nationalities tend to submerge and disappear in a metropolis.

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nationality British  

/ ˌnæʃəˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or fact of being a citizen of a particular nation

2. a body of people sharing common descent, history, language, etc; a nation

3. a national group

   30 different nationalities are found in this city

4. national character or quality

5. the state or fact of being a nation; national status

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nationalities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nationality

First recorded in 1685–95; national + -ity

Explanation

Your nationality is the country you come from: American, Canadian, and Russian are all nationalities. Everyone has a gender, race, sexual orientation...and a nationality. A person's nationality is where they are a legal citizen, usually in the country where they were born. People from Mexico have Mexican nationality, and people from Australia have Australian nationality. People of the same nationality usually share traditions and customs, and they might look a little alike, too. Nationality is one of many qualities that bring people together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nationality nationalities

American tourists in Spain spend more than any other nationality: about $410 a day in July, compared to $240 by Germans and $260 by British travelers, according to government data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

Audience entanglement plagued creators from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender or nationality.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

While German officials did not disclose the suspect's nationality, the Romanian police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was one of the two young Ukrainians arrested in October.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

People increasingly spent time with colleagues who shared their language or nationality.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Given name, nationality, date of birth...she turned herself upside down.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Pilots who should have been excluded by their nationalities have been flying to Israel more frequently, a sign enforcement had grown sloppy, people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Originally voted for by journalists, the award was restricted to European players until eligibility was expanded to all nationalities in 1995.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

There was no immediate word on their nationalities.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

No information has been provided about the nationalities of the deportees.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd; so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Related Words

• citizenship
• community
• ethnic group
• origin
• society