PATRIOTS Synonyms: 16 Similar and Opposite Words

patriots

noun

plural of patriot

as in loyalists

a person who loves his or her country and supports its interests and policies the contention that true patriots would be willing to do anything for their country

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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.

Recent Examples of patriots The patriots are those who love America enough to wish to see her as a model for mankind. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 On the battlefield, American patriots were spilling their blood for the cause of freedom. — Douglas Brinkley, CBS News, 28 June 2026 Do me and all your other fellow patriots a favor, and show some extra love to your country on its 250th birthday next weekend. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026 The capsule installation was part of a joint ceremony with the unveiling of a park marker honoring patriots. — Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 One of those Yale student shows featured future patriots Nathan Hale and James Hillhouse as actors. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 This would create partition on the patriots’ terms, not Britain’s, as 13 contiguous colonies seceded from the rump of the British Empire in North America. — David Armitage, Washington Post, 26 June 2026 Local settler Lewis Moulton, for whom the museum is named, was descended from two Massachusetts great-grandfathers who were early patriots in the Revolutionary War. — Penny E Schwartz, Oc Register, 21 June 2026 Celebrating the intersection of family histories with American history is at the heart of organizations like Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), a male lineage society with nearly 40,000 members descended from patriots of the American Revolution. — Matt Alderton, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for patriots

Noun

The only blot on an otherwise solid opening week for the World Cup expansion loyalists.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026
At the same time, East Florida's population was growing as British loyalists fled Georgia and the Carolinas to escape harassment from supporters of independence.

— Hank Tester, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of loyalists

Noun

The Chamber’s work to prevent right-wing nationalists from winning primaries feels like the last gasp of the country club GOP, before the MAGA movement took over.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 1 July 2026
The group at the center of the feud, the UPA, was founded by nationalists loyal to Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2026

Definition of nationalists

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patriotism

patriots

patrol

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“Patriots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patriots. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of patriots

noun

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