Nazi

[ naht-see, nat- ]

/ ˈnɑt si, ˈnæt- /

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noun, plural Na·zis.

a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler and advocated totalitarian government, territorial expansion, antisemitism, and Aryan supremacy, all these leading directly to World War II and the Holocaust.

(often lowercase) a person elsewhere who holds similar views.

(often lowercase)Sometimes Offensive. a person who is fanatically dedicated to or seeks to regulate a specified activity, practice, etc.: a jazz nazi who disdains other forms of music;health nazis trying to ban junk food.

adjective

of or relating to the Nazis.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Nazi

First recorded in 1930–35; from German Nazi, short for Nationalsozialist “National Socialist”

usage note for Nazi

Nazi in the extended sense of “a fanatical or domineering person” has existed at least since 1980 and parallels the use of the word police in the language police/the grammar police . Though this usage of Nazi is usually intended as jocular, it implies being intolerant of other people’s views and practices. And many people consider any extended use of the word Nazi to be offensive, in that it trivializes the terrible crimes of the German Nazis.

OTHER WORDS FROM Nazi

an·ti-Na·zi, adjective, nounpro-Na·zi, adjective, noun

Words nearby Nazi

Nazareth, Nazarite, Nazca, Nazca Plate, Naze, Nazi, nazify, Nazimova, nazir, Nazirite, Nazis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Nazi in a sentence

Duke was a state representative whose neo-Nazi alliances were disgorged in media reports during his run for governor in 1991.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were just way too aggressive to try and maintain on a farm here,” says Gow of his “Nazi cows.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The attempt to “breed back” the Auroch of Teutonic legend was of a piece with the Nazi obsession with racial purity and eugenics.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And Duke was a closet Nazi getting exposed by an avalanche of reporting.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

When Hitler became chancellor on Jan. 30, 1933, Hildebrand was confronted with a choice: Would he remain in Nazi Germany?
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once Turing looked hard at it, he figured out that the Nazi cryptographers had made a mathematical mistake.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Just why an Axis agent would be staring at him he had no idea, but he still felt sure the man was a Nazi.
Death Makes A Mistake|P.F. Costello
Hall never wrote his story on the refugee banker (who later turned up as a Nazi economist overlord in Denmark).
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase
Hall told them of Jerry's accidental discovery and of the events which followed and brought about the death of the Nazi.
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase
I know, as you do, that Falangist Spaniards on shore are working with the Nazi undersea raiders.
The Five Arrows|Allan Chase

British Dictionary definitions for Nazi

Nazi

/ (ˈnɑːtsɪ) /

noun plural Nazis

a member of the fascist National Socialist German Workers' Party, which was founded in 1919 and seized political control in Germany in 1933 under Adolf Hitler

derogatory anyone who thinks or acts like a Nazi, esp showing racism, brutality, etc

adjective

of, characteristic of, or relating to the Nazis

Derived forms of Nazi

Nazism (ˈnɑːtˌsɪzəm) or Naziism (ˈnɑːtsɪˌɪzəm), noun

Word Origin for Nazi

C20: from German, phonetic spelling of the first two syllables of Nationalsozialist National Socialist

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