nationalism
nationalism Lexical Profile
nationalism Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Identification with one's own nation and vigorous support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.
"The historian examined how rising nationalism shaped international diplomacy throughout the nineteenth century."
Advocacy of or support for the political independence and self-determination of a particular nation or people.
"Cultural revival movements played a central role in fostering anticolonial nationalism across the region."
Word Nuance & Usage
While often used interchangeably with 'patriotism', 'nationalism' frequently implies an exclusive devotion to one's own nation and its interests above those of other nations, whereas 'patriotism' denotes a more general love of and civic attachment to one's country.
• Rhymes for nationalism
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 18th century from 'national' plus the suffix '-ism' (often modeled on French 'nationalisme'), with 'nation' ultimately deriving from Latin 'natio' ('birth, tribe, or people'), from 'nasci' ('to be born').