nationalistic

adjective

na·​tion·​al·​is·​tic ˌna-sh(ə-)nə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce nationalistic (audio)
1
: of, favoring, or characterized by nationalism
As increasingly nationalistic, authoritarian regimes in eastern Europe trampled on the rights of all minorities in the economically beleaguered 1930s, the ethnic German communities were easily tempted by National Socialism.Christopher R. Browning
His thinking also took a peculiarly nationalistic bent, emphasizing that Buddhism had declined in India and China in turn and that Japan was now the central land of the religion.Edwin O. Reischauer
2
: of or relating to a nation
The team split its schedule between the U.S. and Mexico for 17 of the next 18 seasons before cultural and nationalistic differences between players and officials … bubbled to the top.Kevin Baxter
nationalistically adverb

Examples of nationalistic in a Sentence

the political party's nationalistic ideology a nationalistic display of the country's flag at all civic events
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Although Disney executives have expressed optimism about summer booking for the parks this year, the trade war and the administration’s generally nationalistic worldview has increased anti-U.S. sentiment abroad. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025 A couple Americans — Andy Ruiz and Deontay Wilder — provided nationalistic hope (and some U.S.A. chants) but their legacies mostly fizzled out. Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Cameron described Putin as deeply nationalistic, anti-Western and anti-democratic and said the Russian leader couldn’t be trusted. Sam Meredith, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2025 Since Trump took office in January, Mexico has been seized by a wave of nationalistic zeal. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nationalistic

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nationalistic was in 1855

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Cite this Entry

“Nationalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalistic. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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