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 of nationalistic

• patriotic
• nationalist

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

Germany was long seen as hesitant to appear overly militaristic or nationalistic, but the Ukraine war — and now the Iran conflict — has pushed Berlin to increase defense spending and crystallize its own national interests. —Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Regardless of how nationalistic Jews felt as Hungarians, anti-semitism was on the rise in Hungary throughout the 1930s. —Marcy Thompson, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2026

Trump sees Leo in terms of nationalistic pride and loyalty. —Bill Barrow, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026

The combination has led to xenophobia, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ’s nationalistic government has proposed tougher rules on foreigners. —ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nationalistic

• hyper-nationalistic

Rhymes for nationalistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antagonistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic