nationality
Americannoun
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the status of belonging to a particular nation, whether by birth or naturalization.
the nationality of an immigrant.
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the relationship of property, holdings, etc., to a particular nation, or to one or more of its members.
the nationality of a ship.
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existence as a distinct nation; national independence.
a small colony that has just achieved nationality.
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a nation or people.
the nationalities of the Americas.
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a national quality or character.
Nationalities tend to submerge and disappear in a metropolis.
noun
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the state or fact of being a citizen of a particular nation
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a body of people sharing common descent, history, language, etc; a nation
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a national group
30 different nationalities are found in this city
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national character or quality
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the state or fact of being a nation; national status
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nationality
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.
Vocabulary lists containing nationality
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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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.
He declined to say who was the presumed target of the blast, but several sources have said it was Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev, who is a permanent resident of Monaco and has acquired Cypriot nationality.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
Another widely shared one shows prominent protester Nkosikhona Ndabandaba, popularly known as Phakel'umthakathi and who has 1.4 million followers on Facebook, approaching a man standing by the roadside and asking him his nationality.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
The export control amounts to a de facto ban on the model since Anthropic has no way of ascertaining the nationality of its users.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
His birth in Brooklyn made him eligible to play for the U.S., his longterm residency in London made him eligible to play for England and his parents’ nationality qualified him to play for Nigeria.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
Technically speaking, Persian is an ethnicity, while Iranian is a nationality.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
