Nazi

noun

Na·​zi ˈnät-sē  ˈnat- 

1

: a member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945 under Adolf Hitler

2

often not capitalized

a

: one who espouses the beliefs and policies of the German Nazis : fascist

b

: one who is likened to a German Nazi : a harshly domineering, dictatorial, or intolerant person

a grammar nazi

nazi adjective often capitalized

nazification

ˌnät-si-fə-ˈkā-shən 

ˌnat-

noun often capitalized

nazify

ˈnät-si-ˌfī 

ˈnat-

transitive verb often capitalized

Examples of Nazi in a Sentence

a gang of racist Nazis

Recent Examples on the Web

Musk and others, including Steve Bannon, have taken this a step further, making what appear to be Nazi salutes while mocking anyone in the media who calls them out. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2025

When her husband was arrested and sent to the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp, Girone was eight months pregnant, Claims Conference said. —Reuters, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2025

Quentin Tarantino's ultraviolent World War II fantasy gave the Austrian-German actor his villainous breakout role as Hans Landa, a Nazi baddie with an upper-crust cultural side. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025

And on the site of the Jasenovac concentration camp in Croatia, run by a Nazi puppet regime, architect Bogdan Bogdanović crafted perhaps the most optimistic acknowledgment of the will to overcome the 20th century’s darkest hours. —Michael Allen, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, by shortening & alteration from Nationalsozialist, from national national + Sozialist socialist

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Nazi

• anti-Nazi
• neo-Nazi

Kids Definition

Nazi

noun

Na·​zi ˈnät-sē  ˈnat- 

: a member of a German fascist party controlling Germany from 1933 to 1945

Nazi adjective

Nazism

ˈnät-ˌsiz-əm

ˈnat-

noun