Anglophile

noun

An·​glo·​phile ˈaŋ-glə-ˌfī(-ə)l How to pronounce Anglophile (audio)
variants or less commonly Anglophil
: a person who greatly admires or favors England and things English
Anglophile adjective
or Anglophilic

Did you know?

Even after fighting two wars against Britain, Americans continued to regard England with more fondness than perhaps any other country. For much of our history, Americans have sought to imitate the British in any number of ways—American movie stars even used to adopt British accents—and the two countries have long been close allies. But Britain isn't the only country Americans fall in love with; Francophiles (France-lovers), Germanophiles (Germany-lovers), and Italophiles (Italy-lovers) are also common. In the 19th century, Russian Slavophiles called for rejecting European culture in favor of homegrown Russian culture (Slavs being those who speak a Slavic language such as Russian or Polish). Occasionally phil- words are turned around; thus, someone who is philosemitic is a lover of Jewish culture.

Examples of Anglophile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The luggage and leather accessories brand was founded in 1975 in Connecticut by Marley Hodgson, an American Anglophile who’d purchased a leather bag at an antiques auction. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 15 July 2024 The trip also marks a sentimental return to Britain for the 64-year-old Anglophile Emperor, who attended the University of Oxford as a fellow researching the history of transportation on the Thames. Armani Syed, TIME, 25 June 2024 His landslide victory credited the dignity of shopkeepers and invited India’s Anglophile elite to re-examine its Brahmanical prejudices. Gurcharan Das, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2019 Louisa Edwards delivers every Anglophile’s fantasy of meeting the British movie star of one’s dreams and falling irrevocably into a whirlwind love affair. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Oct. 2020 A bit of an Anglophile here, which is interesting, and which gives me a rationale for narrowing my choice. John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2022 Crombie is a lifelong Anglophile who lived in the United Kingdom for a time before returning to North Texas, where she was born and raised. Dallas News, 2 Feb. 2023 No doubt Sontag would have recognized that the series’ Anglophile novelty (despite rampant contempt for Western patriarchy) also plays into the inferiority complex that still oppresses Americans. Armond White, National Review, 24 Aug. 2022 With the help of chivalrous Anglophile the Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), Mrs. Harris gets a front-row showroom seat for the debut of Dior’s 10th anniversary collection. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Anglophile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from anglo- + -phile

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Anglophile was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near Anglophile

Cite this Entry

“Anglophile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Anglophile. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

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