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

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Etymology

Origin of nationality

First recorded in 1685–95; national + -ity

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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

Pernik has said the allegations were “wholly out of character” and that his client’s flight to Saudi Arabia was prebooked, and urged people not make assumption’s about Alfozan due to his Saudi nationality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

"Vietnamese nationals are still the highest nationality that we see being exploited in Scotland" said Bertram.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

That is how much the average American tourist in Spain spent a day in July, more than any other nationality.

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

Germans were writing on the cars with blue chalk—the number of persons in each car, their rank, their nationality, the date on which they had been put aboard.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

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

The nationalities of the non-tourists in Nepal have also not been provided.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

The missing figure released Thursday by China from its side of the border included 260 foreigners, but no breakdown on nationalities was provided.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

He supposed, now that he saw representatives of so many nationalities in the campsite, that he had been stupid never to realize that Hogwarts couldn’t be the only one.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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Related Words

• citizenship
• community
• ethnic group
• origin
• society

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