patriotic
Americanadjective
-
of, like, suitable for, or characteristic of a patriot.
-
expressing or inspired by patriotism.
a patriotic ode.
Other Word Forms
-
antipatrioticadjective
-
hyperpatrioticadjective
-
nonpatrioticadjective
-
overpatrioticadjective
-
propatrioticadjective
-
pseudopatrioticadjective
-
quasi-patrioticadjective
-
semipatrioticadjective
-
ultrapatrioticadjective
-
unpatrioticadjective
-
antipatrioticallyadverb
-
hyperpatrioticallyadverb
-
nonpatrioticallyadverb
-
overpatrioticallyadverb
-
patrioticallyadverb
-
pseudopatrioticallyadverb
-
quasi-patrioticallyadverb
-
semipatrioticallyadverb
-
ultrapatrioticlyadverb
-
unpatrioticallyadverb
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."
Vocabulary lists containing patriotic
Star-Spangled Vocabulary: Patriotic Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Not Your Father's Word List: Pater, Patr
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Nothing But the Truth
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Born in 1922 in the Sarthe department of western France, Solange Alexandre, née Dubuisson, grew up in a patriotic family that had suffered in World War One.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Wong rose to prominence in 2012 as a teenager who led protests against plans to implement patriotic education in Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese control in 1997.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
The following year, the group rallied more than 100,000 people to protest against Hong Kong's plans to implement mandatory "patriotic education" in schools, forcing the authorities to back down.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The piece is an exuberantly hopeful and unabashedly patriotic look at America and its possibilities that seems downright defiant in such a deeply cynical and divided time in the nation’s history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
America’s patriotic song “America the Beautiful” invokes our spacious skies, our amber waves of grain, from sea to shining sea.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
