nativism

[ney-ti-viz-uh m]

noun

the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.

the policy or practice of preserving or reviving an indigenous culture.

Philosophy. the doctrine that innate ideas exist.

innateness hypothesis.

Origin of nativism

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; native + -ism

Related formsna·tiv·ist, noun, adjectivena·tiv·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nativist

Contemporary Examples of nativist

Even the Nativist gangs were led already by a couple of Irish Catholics.
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Live In: Kevin Baker’s New York
Allen Barra
September 23, 2013
The attacks were personal, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes even verging on nativist (who knew Democrats hated Switzerland so much).
Peter Beinart: The Democratic Convention’s Message Discipline
Peter Beinart
September 5, 2012
And by nativist I mean people who are in essence afraid of the world.
Racism? No, Obama’s Own Incompetence Is Hurting His Campaign
Michael Medved
July 27, 2012
He was actually soft as mush, straining to mollify Hispanics without roiling his own nativist base.
Immigration Could Sink Mitt Romney Regardless of Supreme Court Rulings
Robert Shrum
June 26, 2012
FAIR was dubbed a “nativist hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center several years ago.
Solicitor General Verrilli Fumbles on Immigration at the Supreme Court
Terry Greene Sterling
April 26, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for nativist

nativism

noun

mainly US the policy of favouring the natives of a country over the immigrants

anthropol the policy of protecting and reaffirming native tribal cultures in reaction to acculturation

the doctrine that the mind and its capacities are innately structured and that much knowledge is innate

Derived Formsnativist, noun, adjectivenativistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nativist

nativism

U.S. anti-immigrant movement, 1845, from native (adj.) + -ism. Later used in other contexts. Related: Nativist.