nationalist

American  

[nash-uh-nl-ist, nash-nuh-list] / ˈnæʃ ə nl ɪst, ˈnæʃ nə lɪst /

noun

• nationalists
  plural

1. a person devoted to nationalism.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of a political group advocating or fighting for national independence, a strong national government, etc.

---

adjective

1. Also nationalistic. of, relating to, or promoting nationalism.

   the beginnings of a nationalist movement.

2. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or noting a political group advocating or fighting for national independence, a strong national government, etc.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antinationalist
  noun
• antinationalistic
  adjective
• hypernationalistic
  adjective
• nonnationalistic
  adjective
• pronationalist
  adjective
• pronationalistic
  adjective
• quasi-nationalistic
  adjective
• seminationalistic
  adjective
• unnationalistic
  adjective
• antinationalistically
  adverb
• nationalistically
  adverb
• nonnationalistically
  adverb
• unnationalistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nationalists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nationalist

First recorded in 1705–15; national + -ist

Explanation

A nationalist is a person who favors independence for a country. A Scottish nationalist, for example, believes that Scotland should be independent and separate from Great Britain. One kind of nationalist advocates political independence, feeling that her region or state would be better off as a completely separate country from the one that currently controls it. Another sort of nationalist also cares deeply for a country — believing, in fact, that her own country is better than all other countries. This type of nationalist is an extreme patriot, and the term has been around since the 1700s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nationalist nationalists

But perhaps the biggest opportunity for the nationalist leaders lies in the political rather than the practical.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

From India to Indonesia, Mr. Van de Ven writes, “previously polite, elite nationalist murmurings soon gained large, passionate, and occasionally explosive followings.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Draped in Palestinian flags, the coffins were carried through streets filled with nationalist songs and chants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar wants chess legend Judit Polgar to become the country's president as part of his political remake after forcing an ally of his nationalist predecessor Viktor Orban from office.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

He was a longtime Afrikaner nationalist, and an outspoken supporter of the Nazi cause; he once described Hider as the “greatest man of his age.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Decades of conflict between predominantly Catholic nationalists seeking Irish unity and largely Protestant unionists who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom culminated in the Troubles, which killed more than 3,500 people.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Two years later, his father was killed fighting for Tito's partisans against Nazi-backed Croat nationalists.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

German nationalists have never fully forgiven America for World War II. Nor for the cultural competition, from hamburgers’ supplanting bratwurst to the omnipresence of American films and music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

But Madrid's imposing Victory Arch, built in the 1950s on a busy roundabout to celebrate the victory of Franco's fascist-backed nationalists in the 1936-1939 civil war, is a standout example of the symbols that linger.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

The issue was taken up at a meeting of the National Executive Committee and my view was voted down, even by those who were considered staunch African nationalists.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• superpatriot