as in patriots
one who shows excessive favoritism towards his or her country
a staunch nationalist who favored any policy that would give the country more power in the international arena
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Recent Examples of nationalists
Jane’s fiercely unforgiving tone was adopted by militant Irish nationalists for whom the famine stood as the ultimate proof of English perfidy.
—
Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
American diplomats correctly estimated that the Indonesian nationalists could be counted on as allies in the Cold War and did not want the Netherlands to get in the way.
—Nicholas Mulder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2025
But in the last decade, the once fringe views of libertarians, religious nationalists, and champions of unfettered executive power have seeped into mainstream discourse.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Before, people talked about liberals, anti-liberals, globalists, nationalists.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
To revive a credible military is to admit that official Europe’s domestic enemies — the nationalists, the realists, the reactionaries who believe in nation-states — were right all along.
—Dominic Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Restrictive nationalists, the largest group in the sample, showed only moderate levels of national pride.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 16 Feb. 2025
Where ardent nationalists were the oldest group, the disengaged were the youngest.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 16 Feb. 2025
Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
American diplomats correctly estimated that the Indonesian nationalists could be counted on as allies in the Cold War and did not want the Netherlands to get in the way.
—Nicholas Mulder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2025
But in the last decade, the once fringe views of libertarians, religious nationalists, and champions of unfettered executive power have seeped into mainstream discourse.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, in China's increasingly insular online environment, Chinese nationalists are openly complaining about the 19th century loss of territory in what is now Russia's Far East.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Before, people talked about liberals, anti-liberals, globalists, nationalists.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
To revive a credible military is to admit that official Europe’s domestic enemies — the nationalists, the realists, the reactionaries who believe in nation-states — were right all along.
—Dominic Green, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025
Restrictive nationalists, the largest group in the sample, showed only moderate levels of national pride.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 16 Feb. 2025
Where ardent nationalists were the oldest group, the disengaged were the youngest.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nationalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nationalists. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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