patriotic

American  

[pey-tree-ot-ik, pa-] / ˌpeɪ triˈɒt ɪk, ˌpæ- /

adjective

1. of, like, suitable for, or characteristic of a patriot.

2. expressing or inspired by patriotism.

   a patriotic ode.

---

Other Word Forms

• antipatriotic adjective
• antipatriotically adverb
• hyperpatriotic adjective
• hyperpatriotically adverb
• nonpatriotic adjective
• nonpatriotically adverb
• overpatriotic adjective
• overpatriotically adverb
• patriotically adverb
• propatriotic adjective
• pseudopatriotic adjective
• pseudopatriotically adverb
• quasi-patriotic adjective
• quasi-patriotically adverb
• semipatriotic adjective
• semipatriotically adverb
• ultrapatriotic adjective
• ultrapatrioticly adverb
• unpatriotic adjective
• unpatriotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of patriotic

1645–55; < Late Latin patriōticus < Greek patriōtikós. See patriot, -ic

Explanation

Respect for the country's flag, a desire to see your nation succeed, and a deep, abiding love of your country are all patriotic expressions, but being patriotic doesn’t mean you think your country’s perfect — just that you love it. The Greek word patēr, which means father, was the basis for the word patris, or native land, and so patriotic came to mean "a love of country." In the 18th century, the word was formed from the word patriot by adding the suffix -ic, which turns a noun into an adjective. An example of a patriotic comment would be this one, by President Bill Clinton: "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America."

Example Sentences

"I am now needed not in parliament, but in the reorganisation of the patriotic movement," he said in a video statement released on social media on Saturday evening.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

This doctrine sounds like a made-up phrase created for a patriotic first-person-shooter video game.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026

These are the patriotic innovators who would break the bounds imposed on the defense industry by the monopsony at the Pentagon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Sunak’s essay pairs hawkish foreign policy analysis with patriotic nostalgia for how the Royal Navy used to maintain Britain’s position as a “global hegemon.”

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026

Cheering, singing patriotic songs, the men climbed into trucks and rolled down dirt roads out of the mountains to an air base.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• loyal
• nationalistic