nationality

[ nash-uh-nal-i-tee ]

noun

, plural na·tion·al·i·ties

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.

nationality

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nationality¹

First recorded in 1685–95; national + -ity

Example Sentences

People seem intuitively to understand that the virus doesn’t respect identity or nationality, that it is a symptom of a larger, transnational condition.

From Washington Post

The United Nations estimates that perhaps more than 10 million people throughout the world are stateless — meaning they have no true nationality and are citizens of nowhere.

From Ozy

Participants who had positive feelings about people of other races, nationalities, and ethnicities estimated cities in Mexico and Canada as being closer than those who held negative or neutral feelings.

From Popular-Science

When we look at everyone’s nationalities, it becomes clear that we’re all more similar in how we experience loneliness than we might expect.

From MIT Technology Review

They may even unintentionally favor players of certain nationalities, races, ages or backgrounds.

From Science News For Students

Hossein Darakhshan, born in Tehran on January 7, 1975, has dual Canadian-Iranian nationality.

From The Daily Beast

She did, however, choose to surmise that “The nationality of the shooter, it sounds Hispanic, Latino,” based on his name.

From The Daily Beast

Is falafel Israeli and can fried chickpeas have a nationality?

From The Daily Beast

VVD, the biggest party in Dutch government, is even in favor of stripping them of Dutch nationality.

From The Daily Beast

Israel is guilty of blurring the line between nationality and faith, too.

From The Daily Beast

It was a fatal error, for though the Spanish people might despise their King, they were intensely proud of their nationality.

From Project Gutenberg

Foreign families of neutral nationality sought more tranquil asylum far beyond the suburbs or on ships lying in the harbour.

From Project Gutenberg

An American woman therefore who marries an alien takes the nationality of her husband.

From Project Gutenberg

But if he was unconcerned as to family descent, he was far from indifferent as to nationality.

From Project Gutenberg

They have no nationality, and are officially described as “Filipinos under the protection of the United States.”

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• citizenship
• community
• ethnic group
• origin
• society