nationalistic

adjective

na·​tion·​al·​is·​tic ˌna-sh(ə-)nə-ˈli-stik 

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

ˌna-sh(ə-)nə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• nationalist
• patriotic

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

The AfD, born in 2013 in opposition to the country’s bailouts of fellow European Union members after the financial crisis, had quickly evolved to focus on resisting the migrant surge that began nearly a decade ago, with frequently nationalistic and racist overtones. —Alec MacGillis, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2024

Those who are sceptical fear that Shah, whose father Amit Shah is India's minister of home affairs and the right-hand man to nationalistic prime minster Narendra Modi, will be merely a mouthpiece for India. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024

Many Chinese economists are alarmed by the nationalistic direction of their country’s economic policy and skeptical that self-reliance will work. —Scott Kennedy, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024

For example, a violent attack on a Japanese mother and child in Suzhou in late June was blamed on nationalistic rhetoric on Chinese social media platforms. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 8 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nationalistic

• hyper-nationalistic