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
While Washington was private about his Anglican beliefs and a supporter of religious freedom for all faiths, Christian nationalists have been reviving the image, and with it, the claim that the US is an inherently Christian nation at its origin.
—
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 May 2026
However, the issue cannot be resolved by simply blaming those who lean toward the right or become nationalists.
—Jenny S. Li, Variety, 13 May 2026
The once-dominant Labour and Conservative parties were losing votes to Reform, to the left-wing Green Party at the other end of the political spectrum, and to the nationalists in Scotland and Wales.
—Andrew MacAskill, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Reform also is eyeing breakthroughs in Scotland and Wales, though pro-independence nationalists the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are likely to form governments in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In 1916, the Easter Rising against English rule in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British forces.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Nossiter said Guinea is also sensitive to the possibility that the pilots’ case could get amplified publicly by anti-Western nationalists in the country who might frame it as a sovereignty violation at a moment when Conakry is already wary of internal dissent.
—Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
The Treaty of Trianon looms large in the imagination of Hungarian nationalists.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Among the participants were socialists, ex-royalists, liberals, feminists, and nationalists.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026
Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 May 2026
However, the issue cannot be resolved by simply blaming those who lean toward the right or become nationalists.
—Jenny S. Li, Variety, 13 May 2026
The once-dominant Labour and Conservative parties were losing votes to Reform, to the left-wing Green Party at the other end of the political spectrum, and to the nationalists in Scotland and Wales.
—Andrew MacAskill, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Reform also is eyeing breakthroughs in Scotland and Wales, though pro-independence nationalists the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are likely to form governments in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
—Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
In 1916, the Easter Rising against English rule in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British forces.
—Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Nossiter said Guinea is also sensitive to the possibility that the pilots’ case could get amplified publicly by anti-Western nationalists in the country who might frame it as a sovereignty violation at a moment when Conakry is already wary of internal dissent.
—Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
The Treaty of Trianon looms large in the imagination of Hungarian nationalists.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Among the participants were socialists, ex-royalists, liberals, feminists, and nationalists.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nationalists
Noun
-
The top five mascot finalists were coyotes, lions, owls, patriots and wolves.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
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In 1782, Aspden learned that all of his property had been confiscated and would be sold to aid the patriots in the American Revolution.—
Kimberly Nath,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Sacco knows better than most that political chauvinists of all kinds can point to past moments of injury and humiliation to justify any current cruelty or authoritarian project—an especially powerful appeal when those historical injustices are real.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
18 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
There is no denying her perceptiveness, and her contemporaneous letters to her husband’s successor, Andrew Johnson—mostly attempts to secure positions for Lincoln loyalists—do not suggest a woman mentally finished off by yet more grief and loss.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Venezuela extradited a financial adviser of former President Nicolás Maduro to the US, a major escalation in Caracas’ purge of Maduro loyalists.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nationalists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nationalists. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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